Prabha
by whitedragon2645
Summary: A strange request calling for a healer makes its way into Fairy Tail's hall. Surrounded by the sands of time and the ashes of the dead, will Wendy and Romeo make it out alive...or sane? What's reflected in the mirror isn't always the real you. Post timeskip, T for gore in later chapters. RoWen, NaLu, GaLe.
1. revolution1

**General Disclaimer: I do not own the anime/manga "Fairy Tail," copyrighted by Mashima Hiro. No offense is intended in the production of this fanFICTION, and any (well, most) resemblance to people or places in the real world is (kind of) coincidental.**

****This story takes place out of timeline after the timeskip: in other words, it really doesn't have much to do with canon events and shouldn't be read as such.********

**Information on pairings and updates in the bottom AN.**

Prabha

"And like a colorful bloom of temporary lights in the sky, you will shine."

_Wendy Marvell was many things._

_ There were, of course, the obvious ones—Sky Dragonslayer, accomplished healer, adorable moe character, and of course the most important: member of Fairy Tail. Wendy was also other things: kind, brave, at times horrifyingly naïve. Wendy was everyone's little sister, barring a few (read: Romeo). Regardless, the truth remained that among all the many things that Wendy Marvell was, there was one thing that she certainly was not:_

_Wendy Marvell was _not_ weak._

_This was something that was often difficult to see behind her kind and passive disposition. Even in Fairy Tail there weren't many who could see the strength behind her fragile exterior—and not just physical strength. Indeed, few could ever even hope to see the mental strength, and the strength of character that was truly uncommon in a girl of her age. Then again, one can only suppose that is what comes of being a true Fairy Tail mage. _

_Getting back to the point, Wendy Marvell was anything but weak. And small and plain and soft-spoken as she was, even the smallest of people gets his (her, in this case) chance to shine brightly._

_This story, my dear reader, is such a tale. This is a story of opportunity, and the destiny of one Wendy Marvell...of Fairy Tail._

_Come._

_Let's begin._

* * *

Prabha

"And like a colorful bloom of temporary lights in the sky, you will shine."

Wendy sighed, slumping down on a table in the crowded and noisy guild. Head lying on one arm, she lazily surveyed the normal antics of her beloved guild.

There, to the right, Natsu the Fire Dragonslayer and Lucy the Celestial Spirit Mage arguing about something or other (Wendy caught "personal space", "weirdo", and "sneaking into my bed" among others) as they were circled by a flying, taunting blue cat named Happy. The conversation was interrupted snidely by a dark-haired mage currently missing a shirt (in the process of removing his pants as well)—that would be Gray, Fairy Tail's famous strip—that is, ice mage. Wendy giggled inwardly as Natsu and Gray snarled at each other, standing for the oncoming brawl as Lucy tried vainly to calm them down. Wendy smiled at the familiar scene; now if only—ah, there was Erza Scarlet striding in from the left to bash Natsu and Gray's foreheads together. Wendy watched as she embarked on a stern lecture, Lucy laughing nervously in the background while Natsu and Gray rubbed their heads. Wendy smiled. It was always nice to see Fairy Tail's Strongest Team gathered together.

And who was that, two tables to the left, hiding behind an overturned chair—dark blue hair and a strange hat, with hearts in her eyes; it could only be Juvia of the Deep, stalking Gray as usual. Mirajane stood behind the bar, polishing glasses with her usual serene smile as Lisanna and Elfman laughed nearby. And nearer to the entrance was a woman wearing only a blue bikini top and a pair of reddish brown pants, guzzling beer from a large barrel. Two more sat by her side, apparently empty. Wendy winced. _That_ could only be Cana Clive, Fairy Tail's resident drunk. In the back corner, a grumbling Gajeel Redfox vainly pretended to ignore a petite, light blue haired chatterbox who went by the name of Levy McGarden. Close by Jet and Droy seethed in jealousy.

The usual chaos surrounded Wendy on all sides, fading into the background as she closed her eyes. It was always nice to be surrounded by the people who had accepted her into their guild and into their hearts; really, it was the best family a girl could want.

Even so…

Wendy was still plagued by doubt. Doubt in herself, and in her abilities.

_Don't think about that, _she told herself vehemently. _You're the Sky Dragonslayer, for goodness' sake. You'll be just as strong as Natsu-san and Gajeel-san, if you just work hard enough…_

Wendy frowned as she continued to contemplate. When she had first come to Fairy Tail, she had been happy to blend into the background, to examine her new nakama and to get to know them. Slowly, she had grown closer to Team Natsu, and Gajeel and Levy and everyone. And she was still happy just to be around them. But regardless, Wendy began to wonder.

_Why was she there?_

What was her reason for being? Why was it Wendy that Grandeeney came across in the woods one day, and not someone else? What power did she have that gave her the right to stand alongside such great and brave people—people like those at Fairy Tail? Wasn't there anything that only she could do for them?

Wendy scrunched her brow, so deep in thought that she didn't even register the mildly foreboding presence slowly creeping up from behind her. She stared vacantly out at the guild, questioning and wondering like she had been for so long.

_There _has_ to be a reason_, she insisted mentally. _Grandeeney wouldn't have taught me if I didn't have something—anything, anything at all._ _If I could maybe just think a little harder maybe I cou—_

"Boo."

Wendy shrieked and jumped out of her seat, her knees catching on the table and sending her flailing over on her side as the table and chairs scattered onto the floor. The guild roared with laughter as she sheepishly picked herself up, giggling quietly as she rubbed her head in embarrassment.

_Maybe that's my purpose, _she thought ruefully, moving to right the table and chair. _Fairy Tail's resident comedian._

"Sorry, Wendy!" A pair of hands joined hers, helping stand the table back up and then fluttering awkwardly around her. "You're not hurt, are you?"

Wendy paused to turn a nervous smile to the dark haired boy by her side. "N-no, Romeo, I'm just fine. Promise."

"Eh-heh. That's good then," Romeo rubbed his head, grinning sheepishly. "I didn't mean to scare you _that_ bad, Wendy, since you usually notice what with the dragonslayer senses…"

Wendy paused to consider her companion as he continued talking. Romeo Conbolt, son of Macao Conbolt, was a Rainbow Fire Mage and her best friend (best human friend—can't forget Charle). At 15 years old, he had grown into a handsome and strong young man—and an unfailingly kind one, worthy of being a Fairy Tail mage. His idolization of Natsu had taken him far, and he was quickly becoming just like Fairy Tail's Fire Dragonslayer (but with a more developed sense of personal space). Wendy blushed. As the only two of their own age in the guild, they had formed a strong bond (especially on Wendy's side), and often took missions together with Charle.

_Handsome_ _is right,_ she thought shyly.

Shaking her head rapidly, Wendy interrupted gently. "Really, Romeo-kun, I'm okay. It was just an accident, anyway. Did you need something?"

"Ah, I was just wondering if you wanted to take a mission or something. It's been getting kind of boring around here, and I want to have an adventure!" Romeo replied with a rakish grin, running his hands through his already messy hair.

Wendy smiled brightly. "An adventure sounds good, Romeo-kun. I'm ready if you are!" _This is what I need,_ she thought firmly. _A mission will get this nonsense out of my head. _

The two chatted lightly as they made their way to the mission board, pausing to duck as a chair flew over their heads, and then again as Natsu flew over their heads, not stopping once.

"…So, what were you thinking about so hard over there?" Romeo casually inquired. "You looked like your head was going to explode."

Wendy gasped. "I didn't! Did I really?"

Romeo grinned. "Sure ya did! You were frowning so hard I thought your face might get stuck that way," he laughed, pulling his cheeks into a grotesque imitation of Wendy's earlier expression. She giggled, hiding her mouth behind her hands.

Dropping his hands into his pockets, Romeo turned to Wendy pensively as they continued to make their way across the chaotic hall. "Seriously, nothing's wrong, is it? You know that Fairy Tail is willing to help out no matter what the problem is—"

"I know that, Romeo, of course," Wendy interrupted gently. Linking her hands behind her back, she smiled gently, a little sadly. "I've just had a lot on my mind, is all."

Romeo watched her for a few more seconds before smiling and stopping as they finally reached the mission board. "If you're sure, Wendy. But you can always talk to me, okay? I've got your back!"

Wendy stared at Romeo's bright grin, blushing and shyly dropping her head. "Thank you, Romeo. Thank you very much."

"So, what kind of mission are we taking? You can pick anything you want—just as long as it's not boring, okay? No kid missions!" Romeo stuck out his tongue. "Although, that one about the missing cat actually turned out pretty hard with the dog monsters and the talking mice and all…"

Wendy giggled lightly, perusing the board as she listened with half an ear to Romeo's chatter. Roving her eyes over the board, her attention came suddenly to a stop on one particular advertisement for help.

It was written on old, dark yellow parchment, crumbling around the edges; it seemed as if with one touch it would blow away into the wind. Wendy carefully unpinned it from the board to examine it further. The paper itself was almost entirely empty but for a few lines in the center written in a strange, alien looking language. Harsh black writing formed strings of boxes and strange symbols.

Wendy frowned, about to put it back—

Until she saw_ it_.

On the bottom corner was drawn a small dragon, wings raised and teeth bared. Wendy's breath caught. The dragon's lithe shape, broad wings, delicate teeth and claws: even so crudely drawn on such old parchment they called to her with familiarity. Her hands shook minutely, eyes entirely focused on the small but majestic reptile; she could almost _feel_ her mind adding in details of a dragon long lost but never forgotten.

"Wendy? Is something wrong?" Romeo waved a hand in front of her face, peering curiously over her shoulder at the paper in her hands. "What the heck is that? I can't read it at all."

Wendy shook her head, too disoriented to even blush about their proximity. "This one," she squeaked. "I want to take this request, Romeo."

Romeo frowned in confusion. "Well, that's great and all, but how can we take a request when we don't even know what it says?"

Wendy grimaced, eyes roving over the guild in thought. "W-Well, that's certainly a problem…" Suddenly her eyes came to a stop, fixating on a flash of aquamarine in back corner of the guild. She beamed. "We can ask Levy-san to translate for us! I bet she knows what language this is."

Quickly she tapped her way over, almost losing Romeo in her sudden rush. She ducked under Elfman's arm and waved off Bixlow's shrieking dolls before coming to a stop at Gajeel and Levy's table. As Romeo came to stand at her shoulder she smiled quickly and apologetically before turning to tap the chattering bluehead on the shoulder—never noticing the slight tint of red that stained Romeo's face.

"Oh, hiya Wendy!" Levy beamed out, full of cheer as always. Gajeel nodded gruffly, in contrast to Pantherlily's gentlemanly greeting. "Did you need something?"

"Um, actually, Levy-san," Wendy began hesitantly, "we were wondering if you could possibly translate this request for us?" She held out the paper, bowing slightly.

"Let's see it," Levy said, gently taking the paper and smoothing it out on the table. She peered at the symbols for a moment before perking up suddenly. "I can translate this for sure! Actually, I just found a book on this language two days ago, and I kept it with me for some light reading. Crazy coincidence, huh?" She laughed, pulling a tome the size of her head out of her satchel. Romeo and Wendy stared at Levy's "light reading" while Gajeel rolled his eyes and pretended not to gawk. "This language is called Meshbaalan—from the country of Meshbaal. It's a ways down east of Fiore, a principality right in the middle of Bosco; there's a lot of desert and the people are very isolated. They don't really like outsiders down there from what I've read—I wonder who called us," she mused, scribbling down the translated request. Now finished, she held the request up to the light, nodding proudly at her work.

Smiling, she laid it back down on the table and turned it over to Wendy. "There's your request. You've got good intuition; looks right up your alley. And what a reward!"

Romeo and Wendy looked down at the request, surprise lighting up their features as they read. Romeo grinned. "That's our Wendy! She's got the best intuition out there."

Wendy blushed heavily, fiddling with the ends of her hair as she contemplated the newly translated job.

HELP

HEALER NEEDED: COUNTRY OF MESHBAAL

REWARD: 500,000 JWL

CONTACT MERIN IN CITY OF HAMIL

"That's pretty vague for a request, though," Levy said thoughtfully. "It sounds kind of urgent, so it might be difficult, even dangerous in a strange country with no details. Are you sure you're up for it?" Levy stared at the young team with concern.

"Definitely!" Romeo crowed. "If it's Wendy and me, we can do it! After all, we _are_ Fairy Tail mages."

Wendy looked once more at the dragon in the corner, gathering courage from its familiar shape. She pushed down the small feeling of nervousness and foreboding that swirled in her stomach.

_This is it,_ she told herself determinedly. _There are people who need your help, and this is something only _you_ can do. _

Turning to face Romeo's confident smile, she took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay. Let's do it—you, me, and Charle."

"Alright!" Romeo cheered. "You'll be the healer, obviously, and Charle and I can be your gallant escorts. Hey, where is Charle anyways?"

"Oh, she's out getting groceries, I think," Wendy said, putting a finger to her lips. "We usually take turns, so—"

"Oi."

Wendy jumped a little, spinning around to see Gajeel looking at her intensely. Levy and Pantherlily stilled, looking back and forth between the Iron and Sky Dragonslayers.

Gajeel peered at her for a moment longer before nodding pointedly at the request.

"What's with the dragon?"

* * *

**Hai, hai, minna-san! Boku no atarashii monogatari he youkoso!**

**Nante, just kidding.**

**This story is titled Prabha, which is Marathi for "shine"—I felt it appropriate because this story is, essentially, Wendy's time to shine. Wendy's always fascinated me as a character, even as someone who typically favors naturals and such over cutesy-cutesy types like Wendy; but she's the only female DS, and we saw in the GMG that despite being so young she has Fairy Tail resolve. Anyway, I hope you enjoy—I'm making my goal for the next chapter to be two weeks from today.**

**** A note on pairings: Romance doesn't play a huge role here, but I can't resist just a little so…pairings will be RomeoxWendy, NatsuxLucy, GajeelxLevy. Again, these will not be the main plot, but you can expect some fluff, and at least one get together (depending on where the story goes).****

**Also, if anyone is interesting in betaing, please let me know! As always, read and review!**

**Song listened to while I wrote the chapter: Transfer by Livetune (ft. Nakajima Megumi)**

**-WD2645**


	2. revolution2

**Yay! Chapter Two is almost a week early!**

**On another note, minna, I got 0 reviews for chapter one—which made me really sad, but it's probably also because this fandom updates so damn fast.**

**Anyway, I did get three followers, so how about 3 reviews for an update? Not like, the moment I get three reviews, but three will definitely speed up the process for you ;) Also, please read the tarot card description at the bottom!**

**On with the show!**

* * *

Prabha

"And like a colorful bloom of temporary lights in the sky, you will shine."

* * *

_ "Hali…where…back…"_

_ "…can't see…so dark…"_

_ "…ome back…Hali, COME BACK—"_

* * *

_ "Well? Are you coming or what?"_

_ Wendy opened her eyes, only to shut them quickly again as she was assaulted by harsh winds, full of sand and grit. Throwing her hands up to cover her face, she cautiously peered out from under her lashes. Surrounding her on all sides was a barren, empty desert that seemed to stretch out into infinity, meeting and surpassing the horizon. The sky was an ugly, muddy gray—covered with heavy clouds and without sun._

_ "Are you coming or not?" The light, feminine voice that spoke up behind her contrasted the angry malice dripping from her tone. It spoke slowly, as if talking to a very dumb child._

_ Whipping around, Wendy stared at the figure that stood behind her, shrouded in darkness. Hands on hips cocked to the right, the shadow stood at about her height, long hair flowing in the winds. The shadow stood completely unaffected by the winds, silent, emitting malevolence. _

_ "You're late, Wendy Marvell," the figure tapped one finger against her wrist, as if at an imaginary watch. "People are dying. Your friends are dying."_

_ "What are you talking about?" Wendy cried out, trying to be heard over the hissing winds. "My friends are fine! They're strong—they'd never die so easily!"_

_ "What is life? What is death?" the figure continued, steamrolling over Wendy's response. "You're dying as we speak. Everything that lives is dying—we only live to die."_

_ "That's insane!" Wendy gasped. "People live because—well, because they're living, and because they have precious—"_

_ "We eat to die. We sleep to die," the shadow continued, ignoring Wendy completely. "We work to die. We speak to die."_

_ Wendy shuddered. "No! We speak to help each other stand up! We _save _our friends, as true Fairy Tail mages!" Her eyes began to water as she thought back to her Cait Shelter family, all the wonderful people who had taken care of her for so long—_

_ "We create to die. We make energy to die. We form bonds only to die—"_

_ "You're wrong!" Wendy cried, clapping her hands over her ears, a tear streaming down her face. "You're wrong, you're wrong, you're wrong!"_

_ The figure stopped momentarily. "If I'm so wrong, why don't you come and prove it, Wendy Marvell?" she said, voice dripping with contempt. Raising her hand, she curled one finger challengingly in Wendy's direction. "Come, try and save your friends, if you can. They die as we speak, so it won't make a difference."_

_ "Wendy?" A new, familiar voice spoke up weakly from behind her. Whirling around, Wendy gasped. "Natsu-san?"_

_ "Wendy, help—" Natsu stopped, choking and putting one hand over his heart. Wendy cried out in horror as blood erupted in his chest, a hole opening up out of nowhere, sundering his body into pieces until he hit the ground, eyes lifeless._

_ "Natsu-san!" Wendy sobbed. "Wait a minute!" She tried desperately to move, but found she could not move her legs. "Please don't go!"_

_ "Wendy, it's okay!" Wendy turned her head, struggling to make out Lucy's figure through tear filled eyes. "I'm here to save you—"_

_ "Don't come!" Wendy screamed. "Go back—"_

_ Lucy stopped dead, staring at her hands. Slowly, from the fingertips downward she began to unravel into strings, her legs unwinding from underneath her. She took a few tottering steps forward, ultimately stumbling to her knees as the threads of her existence came apart before her eyes, stained bright red._

_ "Wendy," she choked out, reaching out what was left of her arm in an appeal—for what? Help? Mercy? Wendy thrust out her hand, crying incoherently as Lucy, who had always been so kind to her, dissolved into nothing._

_ "We sing to die. We dance to die. We are born to die. We _are_ to die—"_

_ Wendy turned her face away, dropping her head into her hands. "Wake up, Wendy," she muttered to herself. "It's just a dream. Wake up, wake up, WAKE UP—"_

"Wendy, wake up!" Wendy's brown eyes shot open to stare directly into Romeo's face, leaning over her curiously. Wendy shrieked, scrambling away, heedless of the way her elbow carelessly knocked him in the forehead.

"R-Romeo-kun!" Wendy shrieked, pulling the blankets up to her chin, whipping her eyes frantically around the darkened room. Soaking in the sight, she recognized the place—it was her home, her bedroom in Fairy Hills, small and comforting with the shades drawn and the lights off. Wendy let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding, unconsciously relaxing now that she was back in familiar territory. _So it was just a dream_, she thought faintly. _Everyone's fine. _She turned her attention back to Romeo, nervously inquiring, "What in the world are you doing here?"

Romeo glared half-heartedly out of one eye, still rubbing his forehead. "I'm here to get you, of course. Charle sent me in to wake you up. Or did you forget that we're leaving today?"

Wendy started, dropping the blankets to get out of bed, revealing the long sleeved button up pajama top and shorts she wore. Romeo blushed, looking away. "That's right, we are leaving today!"

She jumped out of bed, drawing open the curtains and wincing at the sudden onslaught of sunlight. Whirling around to glance at the clock, she gasped in shock. "It's already so late? Romeo-kun, why didn't you wake me sooner?!" She pattered over to her chest of drawers, throwing an already half-packed blue duffel bag onto the floor and stuffing more clothes inside.

Romeo pouted, crossing his arms. "I couldn't help it! You didn't get up." He frowned pensively, unwinding his arms to lean back on his hands. "You didn't look so good—you were tossing and turning, and mumbling something." He peered closely at her suddenly still form, frozen in the action of dropping a shirt into the bag. "Are you sure you're okay? It looked like you were having a nightmare or something."

Wendy stayed stationary, long hair shadowing her face for just a moment before she popped back up with her customary sunny smile. "No, I'm fine, Romeo-kun. To be honest, I really can't even remember what I was dreaming about now, hehe."

Romeo snorted. "Yeah, that sounds just like you, scatterbrain," he teased lightly, a smile playing across his lips.

Wendy pouted, tossing back a mock-offended look. "Jeez, you're so mean, Romeo-kun!" She zipped up her duffle bag and glanced once more at the clock, shrieking as she realized the time. "Romeo-kun! We're going to be late! We have to hurry, or we're going to miss the train, and then what'll we do…"

Wendy turned back to the dresser and away from Romeo, grabbing frantically at the top buttons of her shirt and unfastening them quickly, almost unconsciously, as if she had forgotten he was even there. Romeo sucked in a breath, face turning the color of a ripe tomato as he slapped a hand up to cover his eyes and rushing to his feet.

"O-Oi! At least wait until I'm out of the room to do that!"

"What on Earth are you talking abou—" Wendy spun around before freezing, stock-still. Very slowly she glanced down at her shirt (which only had the top few buttons open, thank goodness) and back up at Romeo. Nervously he peeked through his fingers, jaw dropping at the image of a very short Sky Dragonslayer doing her best impression of a red steam train.

.

.

.

"GET OUT!"

* * *

"Luuuuuuuuce, do we have to go on the train? Can't we just walk?"

"TO ANOTHER COUNTRY, NATSU? REALLY?"

"Gihihi, guess the sparkle princess can't handle a simple train ride—"

"Like you're one to talk, scrap heap!"

"—what was that, ya fire freak?"

"You wanna go, metal head? Hah?"

"Bring it, flame brain—"

"Gajeel! Knock it off, or I won't write you any more IRON for the next week!"

"That's it! LUCY KICK!"

"Charle, would you like a fish?"

"No, I most certainly would not! Will you remove that disgusting thing from my sight!"

"Now, now, Charle, do be reasonable…"

Wendy and Romeo stared, awestruck at the screeching (figurative) train wreck that stood before them in the form of four Fairy Tail mages and three Exceeds.

Wendy sweat dropped, face twitching as her hands clutched her bag.

"When did we get so many people…?"

* * *

_Flashback: Yesterday at the Guild Hall_

Wendy stared incomprehensibly at Gajeel. "S-Sorry, Gajeel-kun, what was that?"

Gajeel glared gruffly. "I said, what's with the dragon on the request form?" he rumbled, inclining his head towards the mysterious piece of paper.

Wendy perked up, now understanding his sudden inquiry. "Oh! That dragon, I see."

She stared thoughtfully at the paper, one finger to her lips. "To tell you the truth, I don't really understand it, but…" She trailed off, glancing nervously at Gajeel's uncharacteristically serious face. "Don't make fun of me, but it's the reason I wanted to take the request in the first place! I don't really get it, but it's got this weird kind of feeling to it, and it looks almost like—"

"Metalicana."

"Grandeeney."

Wendy and Gajeel started, having spoken simultaneously. They both frowned, Gajeel leaning forward to rest his hand on the table.

"No way that thing looks like Grandeeney, kid! You blind, or what?" He jabbed his finger roughly at the page, indicating the dragon's flank. "Metalicana had a scar here, same as this dragon. It's definitely him. Besides, there's no way a female dragon could be that big!"

"I-I'm sorry to disagree with you, Gajeel-san, but on the contrary there is no way Metalicana-san would be so slender!" Wendy argued back, anxious but determined in her perception. "Besides, it's clearly blue, not gray."

Gajeel snorted. "So you're colorblind, too, is that what you're saying?"

"Hey!" snapped Romeo. He opened his mouth, but was abruptly interrupted when—

"What about Gray? Is the ice princess picking a fight? And who's talking about dragons?"

Natsu screeched onto the scene, nearly bowling Romeo over in the process. He stared at the paper for a few seconds, before his eyes widened in wonder at the bottom corner of the page.

"Whoa! Isn't that Igneel?"

"NO!" Wendy and Gajeel shouted at the same time.

"What the hell are you two yelling for?" Natsu shouted back. "Look at it! It's red, so it's clearly Igneel, unless you two know any other red flame dragons!"

"You're such a moron, damn pyro! It's gray and it's got the scar, so clearly it's Metalicana!"

Wendy struggled to make her voice heard over the ruckus as Natsu and Gajeel cracked their knuckles, preparing for a fight.

"GAJEEL!"

"LUCY KICK!"

Out of nowhere, a large, heavy red purse smacked Gajeel dead in the face, bowling him onto his back so hard he shook the floor. At the same time a force of enormous magnitude smashed into Natsu's back, sending him face down into the hard wooden planks.

One foot firmly planted on Natsu's pink head, Lucy smiled (somewhat viciously) at her nakama, sweetly asking, "Anything interesting going on over here?" A curious Happy fluttered around her head, seemingly unconcerned for his "father's" current condition.

"Hell yeah, there is!" Gajeel picked himself up, scowling at the smug blue-haired midget before him. Picking up the request (and coming dangerously close to knocking his precious Pantherlily off the table, he thrust it into Lucy's face. Stumbling, she backpedaled off Natsu's head, who groaned as he lifted it off the floor. "These idiots won't acknowledge that this GRAY dragon is Metalicana, which it clearly is—!"

"I keep telling you, dumbass, it's Igneel!" Natsu snarled, jumping up off the floor.

"You're both wrong! It's Grandeeney! I know her when I see her!" Wendy nearly shrieked, now near tears.

"Cut it out, both of you! Can't you see you're upsetting her?" Romeo glared, putting protective hand on Wendy's shoulder are she struggled to hold back her sadness.

Natsu did a double take at her teary-eyed face, leaning back uncomfortably. "Hey, Wendy, don't cry…"

"Now look what ya did, ya moron," Gajeel grumbled disconcertedly.

"Are you saying this is my fault, scrap-for-brains? You're the one that started this whole mess!" Natsu rounded on Gajeel, face twisted in anger.

"Why you little—" Gajeel growled back.

"EVERYBODY STOP."

Everybody stopped.

Levy stood on top of the table. "This is the stupidest argument I have ever heard in my entire life. And do you want to know why?" she inquired calmly.

Gajeel twitched. "Is the right answer to that question yes?"

Levy nodded, beaming a smile that screamed homicide. "That's exactly right, Gajeel."

She thrust forward the very request that had brought so much trouble (when did she get that?).

"It's stupid," Levy continued, "for the simple reason that _there is no dragon on this paper_."

Suddenly Natsu came back to life with a roar of passion. "Of course there is! Look, it's right there, clear as day!" He pointed triumphantly at the bottom left corner, where the as of yet unidentifiable dragon reared and bared its teeth.

Lucy, Happy, Lily, and Romeo peered closely at the page, squinting their eyes to make out any such form.

"I don't see anything, Natsu," Lucy frowned.

"Yeah, me neither!" enthused Happy, chewing on a fish.

Jaw dropping open, Natsu stared at the page. "B-But it's right there."

"There isn't, Natsu, I even checked for magic runes," Levy said gently but firmly. "The honest truth is that there is no—"

"I see it."

The three Dragonslayers and their companions turned, shocked, to stare at Romeo's resolute face.

"Romeo…kun?" Wendy said wonderingly, hands over her mouth.

Romeo sighed, scratching his head. "I couldn't tell you which it looks like," he mumbled, "since I never met any of your dragons. It just looks like an ink drawing to me, without color, but it's definitely there." The young teen stared stoutly into the faces of the elder mages.

Natsu looked at Romeo's determined face for just a moment longer, before breaking out into his customary fiery grin. "See, I told you! It must be a signal to Dragonslayers!"

"And apparently Romeo," Levy narrowed her eyes at the young Rainbow Fire mage, but he refused to back down, meeting her stare head on.

"This request must be something real special, and since we're the only ones who can see the symbol, that makes us the chosen ones!" He struck a dramatic pose. "I'm all fired up!"

"Aye sir!" Happy cheered enthusiastically.

"Come on, Happy, let's get packing!" Natsu punched one fist into his hand, grinning madly. "This could be our chance to find Igneel once and for all!"

"Now wait just a minute!" Lucy cried out, grabbing the back of Natsu's scarf and choking him in the process. "You can't just go wherever you please! In the first place, you were just coming over here to pick US a mission! I need my rent money, Natsu!"

"Well, then, let's just join Romeo and Wendy's mission!"

"NO!"

"But Luuuuuucyyyyyyyy—"

"Sounds good to me, gihi," Gajeel grinned roughly.

"Now hold on just a second!" Romeo cried out from his place next to Wendy. "This is our mission! You can't all just barge in as you please—"

Gajeel stood up, palms flat on the table. "I don't know about lava head here, but I'm definitely going, and ain't nothing going to stop me. Lily, let's get packing."

Pantherlily smiled wryly, stretching and flying up to follow Gajeel. "This seems like quite the adventure, doesn't it?"

Gajeel ambled slowly away from the table, stopping briefly by the place where Wendy and Romeo stood. Wendy scrubbed her eyes furiously, sniffling. She opened her mouth to apologize, but was stopped by a large, warm hand on top of her head.

"My bad, kid," Gajeel mumbled embarrassedly, unused to apologizing even now.

"That's alright, Gajeel-san," Wendy smiled up at the older Dragonslayer, someone she had always considered an older brother. "It was my fault too."

Gajeel huffed, ruffling her hair once and smirking at Romeo's jealous.

"Alright, Lily, let's—"

"I'm going too!" Gajeel stopped and turned his head around at Levy's sudden outburst.

"Nuh-uh, shrimp," he frowned, "this is way too dangerous. You're better off staying at the guild."

"_Don't_ blow me off, Gajeel Redfox," she snapped, blushing at his overprotective attitude. Hopping off the table, she folded her arms. "Besides, do any of you even speak the language?" Levy nodded approvingly at the ensuing silence. "That's what I thought. You'll need a translator," she spoke to Romeo and Wendy, who had by now entirely lost control of the situation.

"Well, if the metal head's going, I'm going too, no questions necessary!" Natsu declared, grabbing Lucy's hand (seemingly oblivious to her furious blush). "Let's go, Lucy! We need to get ready!"

"Aye sir!"

"WHY AM I BEING INCLUDED IN THIS?"

* * *

Wendy winced, recalling the fiasco that had led to the motley crew before her. And it looked like Romeo agreed with her opinion of the situation, judging from his telltale shudder.

"Well, the train will be here any minute, so hopefully we'll get some peace and quiet," Romeo grumbled, glancing at the station clock.

"Hey, look who it is! The chibi-couple!"

Wendy and Romeo turned around in surprise. "C-Cana-san?"

"We're not a couple, Cana!" Romeo growled. Wendy nodded vigorously, ignoring the sad ripple in her chest at Romeo's quick denial.

"Alright, alright, settle down, tiger," Cana laughed easily. And yet, if Wendy looked a little closer she could see a tightness around the edges of her mouth, and the beginning of bags under her eyes that spoke of—no, screamed false cheer.

"Wendy, you got a minute?" Cana inquired, beckoning her over.

Wendy nodded confusedly, lightly making her way over to the Card Mage.

"Let's go over here," the older woman said, leading Wendy subtly away from a clearly eavesdropping Rainbow Fire wizard.

Cana placed both hands on Wendy's shoulders, eyes roving over her face, unusually serious. "Wendy, I think it might be best if you didn't go on this mission."

Immediately Wendy protested. "C-Cana-san, I appreciate the concern but this is a mission I chose—"

"I know!" Cana interrupted her forcefully. Her grip tightened minutely. "I know, but the cards have been giving me bad messages, and…some other things have happened," Cana trailed off ambiguously. "The point is, it is not safe for you. You can't—"

"I must," Wendy said softly. "It is my duty as a Fairy Tail mage to help people in need. Besides," she raised her head, "this mission…called to me. Like I was meant to take it."

Cana sighed, dropping her head in defeat. "If that is the path you choose, then I can give only some advice," she intoned in a low, almost weary voice.

Standing up straight, Cana began to speak as if she had memorized her words a long time ago—or like she was reciting from a script.

"The Fool has sparked your journey. You are the High Priestess—your potential grows every passing minute, until it threatens to swallow you whole. Beware the Hermit: the doubts about the nature of your existence will eat away at you until you are nothing. The Wheel of Fortune controls your destiny—Fate shapes this quest for you and for the others. The Hierophant will cause you trouble. The Lovers will betray you. The Tower will test your adaptability. Many trials await you."

Cana looked down at Wendy, who stared, uncomprehending of all the magical information coming towards her.

"And above all," Cana continued with an air of finality about her, "don't be afraid to rely on the King of Wands." She looked behind Wendy, eyes locking on to something.

"In fact," she went on almost wistfully, "You may need him most of all."

Wendy turned slowly, following Cana's direct line of sight—

-and landing on Romeo's smiling face.

"Yeah," she found herself whispering without her own consent. "You might be right."

The familiar _choo-choo_ of the train grew near, making Natsu and Gajeel (though he'd never admit it) groan with dread.

"Thank you, Cana-san," Wendy said, eyes firmly fixed on Romeo. "I'll do my best to make Fairy Tail proud."

One foot after another, the Sky Dragonslayer made her way back to her precious team—the first steps of a new adventure.

Cana clutched her cards in hand, letting out a long breath.

"Didn't you know, Wendy? You already have."

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

**EXPLANATION OF TAROT CARDS**

**-The Fool: Representation of Zero—the spark that sets everything into motion.**

**-The High Priestess: Representation of inner mystery; unlimited basic potential of The Magician**

**-The Hermit: Representation of he who seeks answers alone, shrouded in the dark.**

**-The Wheel of Fortune: Representation of fate or destiny's interference.**

**-The Hierophant: The "card of beliefs"; represents a very spiritual (possibly religious) person or event.**

**-The Lovers: Duality, necessity of proper choice (possibly between two people)**

**-The Tower: A destructive and creative force—represents being able to change old beliefs.**

**-The King of Wands: Pure fire energy. A natural leader, able to change the world to match his vision.**

* * *

**And that's a wrap! I thought King of Wands was pretty accurate for Romeo, a fire mage. And yeah, some people might say that's more Natsu, and it kind of is, but this story focuses on the younger mages, so it's Romeo.**

**Please, please, please, let's try three reviews!**

**Song: Dreaming Shout—Livetune ft. Nirgilis**


	3. revolution3

"This" denotes speaking in Fioran (English?)

"**This**" denotes speaking in Meshbaalan

**This chapter is dedicated to Sprintjump, for being the first reviewer! I hope others can follow his/her example, because I know people have been visiting and not reviewing. Please do.**

* * *

**Prabha**

* * *

_ Ksh—Kshhhhhhh—_

_ "H…li!"_

_ "This way!"_

_ "…ey! Ha—"_

_ Kshhhh—_

_ "Hali! Come back here!"_

_ "It's fine, it's fine! We'll be fine, so let's go!"_

_ "Hali, no!"_

* * *

_ "So."_

_ Wendy grit her teeth, digging her feet into the swirling and dissolving sands. She raised her arms, forming an X across her face in a vain attempt to protect her eyes from the flying sands._

_ The figure, locked in shadow, smiled twistedly, hair flying in the wind. "You did come after all. I knew you would—you're one of _that_ kind."_

_ "And just what is _that _kind?" Wendy said back, anger (or was it fear?) mixed into her voice._

_ "You know the answer to that, stupid girl," the figure chuckled, twisting a strand of hair around her finger. "You're surrounded by them everyday—the_ spirited_ kind. The kind that goes around saying things like, 'I'll never give up!' Or maybe, 'If my friends are with me I can do anything!' Those kinds of people always fight the hardest against that which cannot be avoided."_

_ As the figure sighed dramatically, putting one hand against its face as the winds seemed to pick up. "But they die too, you know, just like everyone else. Even for you, death is the only possible end. Everything lives—everything dies. And those kinds of people never accept it until it's staring them in the face, which makes their reactions all the more…beautiful."_

_ "That's why, you see," the figure dragged her hand down her face to curl over her mouth, hiding her smile, "I like spirited people. After all,"_

_ "They're the most fun to _**break**_."_

_._

_._

_._

_ "Wendy-neechan!"_

_ Wendy froze, hands slowly dropping listlessly to her sides. Her mouth parted, trying to form words that woud not come out_

_ "Asuka…chan…?"_

_ "Wendy-neechan! Help me, please!"_

_ Wendy turned slowly, hands shaking, suddenly ignorant of the howling winds. Asuka Connell knelt, clothes dirty and ripped, hair loose, grabbing uselessly at the sand as it fell away under her fingertips and swirled in the air. Human figures arose from the dust, featureless, —people of dirt and sand that reached out for Asuka, grabbing at her hair, her face, her throat, dragging her backwards as she screamed and cried._

_ "WENDY-NEECHAN! PLEASE!"_

_ "Asuka!" Wendy screamed, once again unable to move. One sandy hand swirled in front of her face, as if to cover her mouth. Asuka choked, fine grit entering her nose and lungs._

_ "PLEASE!"_

_ Wendy clamped her hands over her ears, screaming until her throat was raw as tinkling laughter echoed behind her, surrounding her, drowning her, until there was nothing left but—_

* * *

Lucy scowled half-heartedly at the groaning head of pink currently nestled in her lap, before her face melted into a tiny smile. She smoothed his hair gently with one hand, looking around the train. Natsu lay sprawled across the seat he shared with Lucy, on leg hanging off the chair. Directly across from them sat Romeo (who seemed to be reading a book, as uncharacteristic as it was) and Wendy, who slept leaning against the window. To Lucy's right, across the aisle, Happy, Pantherlily, Charle, and Levy struggled to prop up a very green looking Gajeel, who did his best to hold in his moans and flopped about rather uselessly.

"You look like you're having a lot of fun over there, Levy," Lucy giggled.

Levy scowled in her direction, blowing a piece of hair out of her face, before smirking in the direction of Lucy's lap. "Yeah, well, so do you. Tell me, what's it like being a personal pillow, Lu-chan?"

Lucy sputtered, blushing down at the mop of pink and quickly removing her hand. "Probably better than being a personal arm rest!"

"I am _not_ a personal arm rest!" Levy stuck her tongue out at the smirking blond, before the Iron Dragonslayer's body abruptly pushed her down. Lucy winced.

"My goodness!" Charle exclaimed as she and the other Exceeds pulled at the back of Gajeel's shirt, wings flapping vainly. "How much does he _weigh_?"

"It's all the metal," Pantherlily grunted, swooping down to push Gajeel up from underneath. "It probably accounts for at least a third, if not a half of his body weight."

"Okay guys, on three!" gasped a slowly suffocating Levy. "One, two, three!"

Simultaneously all four pushed and pulled, straining with all their might until inch by inch Gajeel was leaning against the window, covering his mouth and puffing out his cheeks. Levy flopped against the seat, taking heaving breaths of air as the Exceeds slumped together on the opposite seat.

Lucy looked out the window at the rushing countryside. They had been travelling already for four hours, and all the while she saw the scenery grow sparser and sparser, Fiore's familiar landscape giving way to arid desert. Trees (and houses, and people) had been appearing more and more rarely, as though the train was hurtling straight into oblivion. A small sound drew her attention to the young, quiet mages across from her—Wendy, it seemed, shuffling quietly in her sleep, her face contorting slightly before relaxing.

Levy stretched, then bent down the shuffle through her bag. "We should be getting there soon, Lu-chan," she said as she pulled out a small book labeled with the same symbols as the ones on the request.

Lucy sighed in relief, absentmindedly whacking a shifting Natsu on the head. "Thank goodness," she said, "I thought that we were gonna be stuck on this train forever!"

"That would be Natsu and Gajeel's worst nightmare!" laughed Levy. "Can you just imagine—"

"Nn…"

Lucy and Levy immediately quieted, glancing over at the Sky Sorceress. She was frowning heavily in her sleep, fingers clenching unconsciously.

"We didn't wake her right?" Lucy whispered nervously. "She looked so tired at the station."

"N—…"

"Do you think something's wrong?" Levy frowned. Romeo looked up from his book at her words, gazing worriedly at his grimacing partner. "It doesn't look like whatever she's dreaming about is very pleasant."

"Stop it…" Wendy mumbled, shifting uneasily. "Stop…"

Romeo closed his book and set it aside, putting a hand on Wendy's shoulder and shaking her gently. "Wendy. Wake up, Wendy."

Wendy twitched, mouth parting slightly. "Stop it…Don't!"

Romeo shook her harder as Lucy and Levy leaned forward in concern, drawing the attention of the Exceeds. Charle swooped over to land on Wendy's lap, putting a paw on her arm as Romeo continued to shake her. "Wendy, wake up!"

"No," Wendy said, her voice growing louder, oblivious to the concerned attempts to wake her.

"_Stop it_!"

Wendy jerked awake, sitting forward so suddenly she almost knocked Charle off her lap. Blinking rapidly, she looked around at the worried faces of her companions. From his resting place on Lucy's lap Natsu lifted his head blearily, still quite green in the face.

"Everybody shut up…S'too loud in here," he groaned.

"Like you're one to talk!" Lucy snapped on reflex, before growing quiet and looking over at a pale and shaken Wendy. "Are you okay? Did you have a bad dream?"

"Um, yes, I suppose," Wendy stumbled, "I had…a bad dream."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Levy encouraged, smiling cheerfully if uneasily at the young girl. "Talking about bad dreams always helps me."

"Oh no, t-that's fine," she stuttered, shaking her head. "I-I don't really remember much of it now, anyway, so it's really okay! Don't worry about me!" She tittered nervously, rubbing the back of her head.

"If you're sure…" Levy trailed off, before continuing on briskly. "By the looks of it, we'll be arriving soon, so I'd make sure that you have everything with you and get ready for your big mission!"

"Right!" Wendy nodded determinedly pulling her bag up onto her lap to organize and check its contents. With one last glance over her shoulder, Charle rejoined Lily and Happy, berating the later almost immediately. Slowly the atmosphere relaxed back into its former state, with Wendy smiling happily at her fellow mages.

Only Romeo's gaze remained firmly riveted on Wendy, face blank and serious. Wendy wasn't perfectly fine, no matter what she said, and Romeo knew that for sure—because out of all of them, he was the only one who noticed Wendy's still trembling hands.

Carefully, he reached over and laid one of his own warms hands over Wendy's small, cool ones. Wendy turned her head fast enough to get whiplash, eyes wide in confusion at Romeo's blushing but grave expression.

"You know," he began, "that you can always come to us for help, right? No matter what the problem is? And we'll always be here for you, because we're Fairy Tail." _ I'll always be here for you._

Wendy looked down at Romeo's hand over hers, the warm pressure rooting her to her spot—grounding her. Looking back up, she smiled genuinely. "Yeah. I know."

_Thank you_.

* * *

"Finally off that train!" Natsu stretched, letting the heat soak into his muscles, rolling his head before turning to grin at his companions. "That wasn't so long, we should have just walked!"

"It was _four and a half hours_, moron," Lucy snipped half-heartedly, dragging her bag lethargically behind her. She stopped, panting. "Why is it so hot?!"

It was true, Wendy noted as she examined their new surroundings; the city of Hamil, indeed the country of Meshbaal itself was surrounded by miles of burning desert, and was overlooked by an unforgiving sun that beat down on the mages harshly. Hot wind swirled the sand; the afternoon light lit up the sand as if it glowed gold, uninterrupted by plants but for the occasional scraggly bush. The clear blue sky stretched for miles overhead—so big, it seemed it might swallow everything from horizon to horizon. Shielding her face from the glare, Wendy looked around at the bustling city. The train station was built in the direct center of town, surrounded by buildings of stone—most likely houses—and lively markets, selling anything and everything imaginable. Wendy's eyes widened at the displays—rich and beautiful bolts of cloth, bright vegetables and meats, shining jewelry. The people, tan from days in the sun walked in loose, billowy clothing from stall to stall, exchanging coins as they babbled and gossiped.

But something else permeated the air—some sense of tenseness, of foreboding, which did not belong in such a bright town. The people looked from side to side as though they were hunted; they did not touch anything—or anyone—more than they had to. They exuded distrust.

Shaking her head to rid herself of the niggling sensation Wendy turned to Romeo next to her.

"This looks like a nice place," said Wendy.

"Yeah, there's so much stuff—"

"**Who are they****?"**

Wendy jumped at the harsh whisper from behind her, turning her head to identify the speaker. Two women wrapped in scarves covering their faces and hair started guiltily as she faced them, hiding behind their hands as they continued to speak in hushed tones.

"Something wrong, Wendy?" Romeo inquired, following her line of sight to the women.

"No, not particularly," she began, "It's just that for a second I could have sworn they were talking to us…or maybe about us…"

"Come to think of it, aren't there a lot of people looking at us?" Lucy interjected, voice lowered nervously.

Looking at their immediate surroundings, Wendy realized she was right. All over the square people were staring, some openly, some not. Whispers abounded, spoken in throaty tones with harsh intonations.

"**Why are they here?"**

**"Look at their clothes; they must be foreigners."**

**"Bah! Foreigners coming here, at this time? They are worse than fools."**

**"Will they hurt us?"**

**"The women wear no scarves! Barbarians!"**

"They're suspicious," Levy said quietly, entering the conversation quietly with Gajeel looming over her shoulder. "I told you before that this place doesn't take well to outside intrusion—and Fiorans are about as outside as you can get. There weren't any other people who got off here but us, so we probably stand out even more. We look completely different from them; we're wearing different clothes, we have different skin and hair—they don't trust us."

"What are they saying?" Natsu asked.

"Nothing too bad," she assured him. "They're mostly wondering who we are, and what we're doing here; some of them are commenting on our clothes and such—something about scarves?" Levy frowned. "I was so busy studying the language that I forgot to look up the culture; they must be significant in some way, but I'm not sure how—"

"That's not just it," rumbled Gajeel. "Something's weird about this place." He eyed the gathered crowd suspiciously. "They smell—scared, almost. Something's not right with them."

"He's right," said Natsu as he drew in a deep breath. "There's another funny scent too; like they spent too much time in the bath or something." He looked to Happy, perched on his shoulder. "They must really like their baths here, huh?"

"Forgetting about that," Gajeel interrupted, "just look at 'em. Being foreign is all well and good, but these guys are too suspicious. It's like they think we're out to get them."

Levy frowned, craning her head up to look at him. "Well, what do you mean by 'something'—"

"Fairy Tail! That's you, right?"

Wendy's ears caught the sound of running footsteps before she saw the slight figure that pushed its way through the dense crowd. The crowed parted around him, stumbling to get away from his insistent push, until finally a boy stood before them, slightly out of breath but grinning so hard that his eyes closed all the same.

"Sorry I'm late—I'm Merin!"

* * *

Wendy examined the client in front of her with interest. He couldn't have been much older than her or Romeo—just Romeo's height, in fact, if not a little shorter. Tan brown skin covered a lanky body—not much muscle, but still fit. Dark black hair fell in front of his face, artfully covering a wide forehead, at it's longest point almost touched the top of his slim, straight nose. Wendy blushed—altogether he _was_ rather handsome, in a purely aesthetic sense. Romeo scowled.

"Get going, kids," Natsu pushed them and winked. "It's your mission."

Wendy stepped forward nervously, clearing her throat and wincing at Romeo's still present scowl. "Y-yes, we're from Fairy Tail. I'm Wendy Marvell, a h-healer…" she stuttered to a stop, glancing back for encouragement.

_A healer—am I really just a healer?_

"That's fantastic! Thank you so much for coming," Merin gushed in only slightly accented Fioran. "I'm here to take you to where you'll be staying right away!"

He stepped forward, opening his eyes—

Wendy sucked in a quick breath at the color—brilliant wine red, piercing but warm.

"So let's get go—" he stopped dead, eyes widening as he stared.

"_What _are you _wearing_?" he gasped. "No wonder there were so many people—come on, we have to get you properly dressed!"

Quickly moving behind them he herded the protesting group of mages forward in the direction of the crowd, which parted down the middle for them like the Red Sea.

"I'll get you to my grandfather's house right away; he'll explain everything when we get there, and he'll take care of explaining to the people too, since we didn't actually say anything about it to them—whoops, our mistake, heh heh," Merin shoved the mages along through the clear path in the muttering crowd—clear, that is, but for one person.

"**Just a moment, Merin.**" An elderly looking lady veiled but for her sharp eyes stepped into their path. The mages came screeching to a halt; Merin stepped gracefully around them to speak.

"**Who are these people?**" she asked, a hush falling over the crowd. "**What is their purpose here?**"

"**They are powerful mages from Fiore in the north,**" Merin projected his voice to the silent people. "**Grandfather has asked them here to help solve our—**" he hesitated. "**Problem. I assure you, they mean no harm, efendim.**" He bowed.

Silence rang out, everyone looking to the woman as if she was a leader. _She must be someone important to them_, Wendy thought. Her authority was clear, in her bearing and in her words. After a moment, she nodded imperiously once before turning and deliberately walking away to resume her business. Taking it as a cue the rest of the crowd dispersed slowly, still whispering behind their hands.

"Anyways, let's get going so that doesn't happen again," Merin switched back to Fioran, grabbing a blushing Wendy's hand to pull her up. Rounding on his heel he walked briskly away, leaving the confused mages to follow quickly in his footsteps.

"What were they talking about?" Gajeel whispered to Levy.

"He was saying we were called here to solve a problem," Levy replied. She looked at him wryly, three of her steps matching one of his. "I guess that's your 'something'."

Gajeel grunted. "Guess we'll find out."

* * *

_Desert outlying Meshbaal: date and time unknown_

"C'mon, Erza, we've been searching for hours," Gray groaned, stripped down to only his boxers. "Let's take a break—it's too damn hot out here!"

"Not for another two hours at least," said Erza confidently, scarlet hair blowing in the breeze. "If there's still time left, then we'll keep searching. And put your clothes back on."

"Yeah, yeah," Gray grumbled, reaching for his spare shirt

"_What was that?"_

"Y-Yes, ma'am! On it, ma'am!"

"That's what I thought."

"I wonder how Flame Brain and Lucy are doing, though," he mused, pulling his pants back on. "Where did they say they were going?"

"They didn't, really," Erza replied, straining her eyes through the bright sand. "It seemed like they were in a hurry."

"Wherever they are, I hope it's better than this goddamned desert," Gray grumbled.

"Less talking, more searching!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

* * *

_They're here._

* * *

** I hope everyone enjoyed the new chapter! Please, please, please, drop a review, because so far I've only gotten one and it would be nice to get some encouragement, because writing something on a place for concrit and not getting any is really disheartening. I'm begging here. **

** I know it's going really slowly, but now that the exposition is done and the setting has been introduced we can really get started on the good stuff. Once again, please review!**

**-WD2645**

**Song: Sorairo Days-Shouko Nakagawa (Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann)**


	4. revolution4

**Yay! Chapter Four!  
**

**This chapter is dedicated to my awesome new beta, Tatertotrocks, who I am so grateful for! Thanks so much for your help (and for making me feel like an official writer with a beta OMG so fancy).**

**Without further ado, the next chapter of Prabha.**

* * *

Prabha

* * *

_Ksh—_

_ Kshhhhh—_

_ "H…li…"_

_ "…in! H…"_

_ "W…tch…ca…ful…"_

_ "…IN! BEHIND YOU!"_

_ Kshhhhh—_

* * *

_ Wendy stood, feet planted in the sand, paying no heed to the tearing desert winds or to the grit that scratched her face. Unconsciously she crossed her arms over her chest, anger twisting her normally sweet face. The shadow's mouth curved into a grin, noticing the way her shoulders hunched in on themselves, the tightness of her mouth, the slight tremor that had nothing to do with the cold—the unspoken fear that could not be hidden by bravado. She opened her mouth to begin, but Wendy cut across._

_ "Who are you?" she asked, voice full of tense, false calm. "Why are you doing this?"_

_ The figure twitched, a flick of her shadowed head the only indication of her movement. Wendy squinted, trying to make out any feature, any clue to the shadow's identity. No curves. No gender specific clothes, no discernable characteristics but long, long hair. Whatever it was, it was the embodiment of nothing; the epitome of the unknown. _

_ "My, my," it grinned, unconcerned with Wendy's scrutiny, "it's not like you to speak first. It's not like you to do _anything_ first, actually. You always have to be approached first." It sighed dramatically. "Look at all the work you're making poor me do. I have a life too, you know."_

_ "If I'm making you do so much work why are you still here?" Wendy ground out, doing her best to ignore the jabs at her timidity. "Get out of my head and leave me alone."_

_ "That's not true, though, is it?" it mused, lost in its own world, as if it was completely unaware of Wendy's presence. "I suppose no one really has a life."_

_ It tilted its head to the side, angling its (presumable) face in Wendy's direction. Wendy could practically see the insane smile aimed at her; the thought sent shivers down her spine. _

_ "Your life is not your own," it droned. "Your life is nothing, and when it ends you will be nothing, and no one will care. Who would? Who could possibly care for someone so _weak_?"_

_ "I'm not," Wendy began, voice strong—but it wavered, her hesitation clear—"I'm not wea—"_

_ "If you're not weak, then why can't you do anything for your 'friends'?" the shadow spat. "If you're strong, then _save them._"_

_ "If you think you can."_

_._

_._

_._

_ "MIRA!"_

_ "MIRA-NEE!"_

_ Suddenly the shadow was gone, and Wendy's true nightmare began._

_ Mirajane, who had always been so kind to her, her pure white hair stained with blood, hung suspended in the air by each limb, forming an X with her body. Ropes of sand coiled around her wrists and ankles, her head lolling to the side, clearly unconscious. At her feet Lisanna and Elfman struggled, bound by sand that seemed to have taken on a life of its own. _

_ Wendy stood rooted to her spot, uncomprehending as the ropes pulled at Mirajane's arms. Her body stretched, straining against the unnaturally strong pull. _

_ Lisanna screamed wordlessly, her voice grating against her throat. Elfman roared, thrashing from side to side. The sand remained heedless. It pulled and pulled and pulled—_

_ "Huh?" Mirajane's eyes began to open, slowly at first, until they snapped open, registering the pain. She shrieked, opening her mouth to cry out—_

_ For Wendy, it was as if everything went silent. Mirajane's body snapped apart, and blood became rain._

_ "Why, Wendy?"_

_ Sound came rushing back. Lisanna glared, tears in her eyes as Elfman openly sobbed, trying vainly to drag his body to the scattered pieces of his beloved sister. Nothing would come out of Wendy's throat, _

_ "You should have saved her," Lisanna whispered, drenched in the blood of her sibling. "It should have been you!"_

* * *

_earlier that day_

"Welcome to my grandfather's house!"

The Fairy Tail mages looked up at the huge mansion in awe. It was built completely out of stone, with copious windows and a front garden—a garden, in the desert! Wendy's mouth dropped open for a moment before she realized and shut it quickly, embarrassed.

"Wow, your house is freaking huge!" Natsu grinned, arms behind his head. "Ya got anything to eat?"

"Quiet, idiot!" Lucy snapped, wiping a hand across her forehead. "It's not polite to just ask for food!"

"Aw, lighten up, Luigi!" pouted Natsu. "I'm hungry, I didn't eat anything on the train!"

"Yeah, Luigi! Don't be mean to Natsu!" Happy circled her head, batting at her face with his paws.

"Shut up, you stupid cat! My name is Lucy," she growled, grabbing at the Exceed.

Merin stared. "Is this…normal, for you? And why is that cat talking—for that matter why is it flying?"

Wendy smiled awkwardly, mouth twitching. "It's…a long story. I'll explain later, if you want." Gajeel snorted at the displeased frown that appeared on Romeo's face.

"Cool!" beamed Merin, inserting a key and opening the front door. "Later, though. Right now we have to introduce you to grandfather," he eyed the girls up and down, "and get you properly dressed."

He threw open the door, and Wendy's mouth dropped open once again. Only this time, she didn't bother closing it.

The front hall was spacious and gleaming with white. Pure marble floors seemed to absorb the golden lights, reflecting them back as if they were glowing. Two staircases swept up either wall, connected by a landing that extended into the upper floor, presumably where the bedrooms were. Merin led the slack jawed group down the hall, past an elaborate dining room, a comfortable looking parlor, and into a smaller but no less elegant family room. The shades were down, darkening the room considerably, but it remained lit by small lacrimae. At a desk in the corner sat elderly looking man with hair whitened from age. His face was serious, wrinkled, but the crow's feet around his eyes indicated he smiled he often.

Merin bowed. "**Grandfather, I've brought the mages of Fairy Tail,**" he said, eyes fixed on the ground.

The old man turned, smiling at the sight of Merin. He began to speak in the same harsh but elegant language as before, his voice calm and pleasant. Merin straightened and answered in lilting, bird-like tones, his voice lifting and falling.

Wendy shifted from foot to foot. _Calm down, _she thought. _This is your mission. You're the healer. You can save—_she choked mentally, thoughts coming to a halt.

_Save…who can I save? I can't save anyone._

Time slowed. Wendy's heart beat faster; her eyes unfocused as she panicked, doubt welling up in her mind.

_I can't do it. It can't be me. I have to ask Romeo-kun or Gajeel-san or Natsu-san to be in charge for me—_

A hand wrapped around her wrist, slightly callused but still warm. Romeo's gaze remained fixed forwards, but he leaned his head to the side, just over her shoulder. "Don't be so nervous. It's my mission too, you know. I have to protect you, and it won't do me any good if you're panicking while I'm trying to…well, do stuff," he ended lamely.

Wendy blushed reflexively at the feel of his hand on hers, but it soon faded as she took in its warmth. She breathed deeply once, allowing herself to feel the presence of her family around her. The scent of old paper and ink from Levy, of earth from Gajeel, Natsu's passion, Lucy's kindness. Charle landed on her shoulder, providing quiet assurance to her charge. The sound of fluttering wings echoed as the other Exceeds took their places on their respective Dragonslayers' shoulders.

_I'm not alone,_ she thought fiercely. _I have my nakama. It's not just me._

The old man said something, glancing at the mages. Merin answered quickly and walked purposefully out of the room, closing the door behind him. With a glance at each other Romeo and Wendy stepped forward.

The old man smiled and stood. "Welcome," he said in more accented but no less fluent Fioran. "I thank you for coming, wizards of Fairy Tail."

"I apologize for my idiot grandson." He glanced wryly out the door. "He probably dragged you here without explaining anything."

"Got that right," Gajeel grunted, crossing his arms. The old man looked over at him, seemingly unfazed by his pierced and menacing appearance.

"Let my introduce myself," he continued. "My name is Zahin Edris. My grandson, whom you've obviously met, is Merin Edris. May I ask for your names?"

Natsu grinned, bright and warm always. "The name's Natsu Dragneel, gramps! Nice to meetcha! And this is Happy," he pointed to the small blue cat perched on his shoulder.

"Aye!"

"Don't be so rude, Natsu!" moaned Lucy. She gave Zahin an apologetic look, but he only chuckled and shook his head. "I'm Lucy Heartfilia, sir. I'm a Celestial Spirit Mage, and Natsu is a Fire Dragonslayer."

"A slayer of dragons, you say?" Zahin's eyes widened in disbelief. "You must be truly powerful indeed."

"Flame Brain? Yeah right," Gajeel snickered. "He couldn't take down a dragon if it laid down in front of him and rolled over."

Natsu growled, stepping towards Gajeel, who grinned and cracked his knuckles. "What was that, you son of a—"

Levy stepped in between them, hands out. "There will be NO fighting in someone else's house, or so help me I will find Erza and get her down here," she said calmly. "Have I made myself clear?"

"Y-Yes ma'am!" Natsu snapped to attention.

"Tch," Gajeel frowned but turned his head to the side, backing down.

Levy turned to their host. "It's nice to meet you, Zahin-san," she beamed. "My name is Levy Mcgarden; I'm a Solid Script mage and here to act as a translator. This lug over here," she pointed to Gajeel, who scowled, "is Gajeel Redfox, the Iron Dragonslayer, and his partner Pantherlily."

Gajeel said nothing, but nodded. Pantherlily gave a gentlemanly bow. "A pleasure."

"Likewise," Zahin nodded. "But if I recall correctly, the request was for a healer. Which leaves…" he turned to Wendy and Romeo's direction.

Squeezing Wendy's wrist once and letting go, Romeo stepped forward with his head held high. "I'm Romeo Conbolt, a Rainbow Fire mage. I'm escorting our guild's best healer."

He turned his head backwards, smile bright, eyes inviting her forward. Wendy stepped forward, speaking carefully so as not to stutter.

"My name is Wendy Marvell," she said quietly, feeling the pride of her companions warming her back. "I'm the Sky Dragonslayer and a healer; this is Charle, my guardian." Charle nodded imperiously.

"Romeo and I chose this mission, with Levy's help," she continued, voice unwavering. "I'll do my best to help with whatever problem you have. Please take care of us." She bowed quickly.

Zahin's eyes softened at the young mage's grace. "The same to you. I have every confidence that you will be able to help us."

Abruptly the door slammed open, bouncing off the wall and shocking the mages. Merin beamed, still full of enthusiasm. "I brought them, grandfather!" he crowed.

Wendy sagged, putting hand over her racing heart. Zahin sighed.

"Yes, Merin, I can see that. As much as you seem to think, I am not yet blind."

Merin artfully ignored his grandfather, passing out a long strip of airy cloth to Wendy, Lucy, Levy, and even Charle. "You have to wrap these around your head, to cover your hair."

"I meant to ask earlier, but what is the significance of that?" Levy inquired, examining her strip of bright blue cloth, embroidered with azure butterflies—a perfect match for her aquamarine head.

"It's considered modest to cover one's head in our culture," Zahin offered. "It has religious connotations, but overall it is a symbol of humility. Men sometimes wear similar caps as well, but not always."

"More importantly than that, how the heck do you put it on?" Lucy grumbled, tossing the cloth haphazardly over her head. It was pure gold, bold and brilliant, patterned with small suns. On Lucy's head, it emphasized her hair and brightened her face, as if she was shining. Natsu's mouth opened slightly, his eyes staring until she snapped at him to stop, face red.

Wendy looked at the long piece of fabric she held in her hands, contemplating the best way to wrap it. It was pure white, and floated in her hands as if it was made of nothing but air—fitting, for a Sky Dragonslayer such as herself. Charle's was a light pink with tassels on the ends that complimented her white fur.

"Well, I think having it on your head is a good start," said Zahin, one hand posed critically on his chin. "After that, I'm…not entirely sure," he trailed off.

"You mean you don't know?" cried Lucy.

"Well, I'm not a woman," he said defensively. "Merin, do you know?"

Merin spluttered as Wendy and Romeo giggled. "Of course not! Why don't you ask—"

A sigh sounded from behind. Wendy turned towards the door, where an elderly woman stood with a basket full of vegetables in hand, shaking her head at the boys' foolishness. She wore a long, loose skirt and cardigan, and her hair was covered with a black cloth.

"Whatever will I do with you two?" she chuckled, sweeping into the room and setting her basket on the desk. Zahin looked at her with a soft, dear expression, and she covered his hand with hers for a moment, looking deeply into his eyes. Merin made a face.

"Come here, girls," she turned to them, eyes sparkling with good humor, "I am Aaliya, this old fool's wife. I will show you how to wear them."

She took the cloth gently from Wendy's hands, draping it over her head so that the end closest to her touched Wendy's forehead. She grabbed both trailing parts and twirled them around her shoulders, tucking the ends under to hold them in place, leaving Wendy's face uncovered. Romeo's breath caught; the way she was she looked almost like a bride.

Gajeel's foot thumped the back of his ankle gently but firmly. "Cool it, kid," he rumbled. "You look like a tomato."

Aaliya repeated the process for Levy, Lucy, and Charle. "There now," she said, "such beautiful girls."

"Thank you very much, Aaliya-san," Lucy smiled.

"I'm going to start dinner," said Aaliya. "We'll have a feast, to celebrate the arrival of such heroes in our home." Natsu preened, puffing out his chest. "Merin, come help your old grandmother."

"Do I have to?" he whined, even as he hurried to grab her basket and open the door. "And you're not old, grandmother." He looked at the contents of the basket, and stopped. "Are you going to make masgouf? Because if so, you forgot the tomatoes."

She gasped. "I didn't!"

Making her way over to peer at the contents of the basket, she sighed. "Merin, you'll have to go fetch some."

With a sly look at Wendy, Lucy quickly spoke up. "Why don't you take Wendy too?" Romeo's head whipped around to stare at her, mouth open. His eyes screamed betrayal, to Lucy's delight.

Wendy, meanwhile, was blissfully oblivious to the plotting happening behind her. "Sure! That would help to get me acquainted with the village."

"And we would be happy to help you, Aaliya-san," said Levy.

"Perfect! Let's get going then, my lady!" Merin jokingly held out his arm.

Until now, Romeo had resembled a bomb about to explode, his jaw working up and down without actually saying anything, hands clenching and unclenching. At this, however, he exploded into movement.

"I'll go too!" he practically ran in between Merin and Wendy, snatching up Wendy's arm in his own, ignoring the small twinge of pride in his chest at her instantaneous and furious blush. Merin cocked an eyebrow, looking vaguely amused.

"F-For security purposes," Romeo blustered. He pretended the excited giggles in the background weren't happening because there was _no way _Lucy had set that up on purpose the conniving little—

"Well, then," said Merin, "I guess we'd better get going!"

* * *

"And the church is over there—"

"The church?" interrupted Wendy.

"Oh yeah," nodded Merin, tomatoes in hand. "We call it an _udram_. A lot of the people here are very religious. That's a lot of the reason everybody freaked put when you guys showed up with no covers; but it's mostly the old people who haven't gotten out much, you know? It's kind of hard since most of them don't, well, really know much else—"

"**I think you'll find that we 'old people' know much more than someone like **_**you, **_**Merin Edris,**" a deep, icy voice cut in.

Merin came to stop, for the first time with a look of true annoyance on his face. Sucking in a breath he erased the emotions from his face and turned to face the voice.

An old man, around Zahin's age stood in the doorway of the udram, wearing long robes of white and an elaborate golden headpiece, wrapping around his head like vines. His head was free of hair, covered by a white round cap. His white beard was trimmed short, and his gnarled hands clutched a long wooden staff. Wendy took a step back as his small, beady black eyes fixated on her, narrowing with disgust. Romeo frowned, taking a half step in front of her with his arm slightly out to the side as if to shield her from his gaze.

"**You Edris fools**," the old man growled, the sunspots on his hands evident as he gripped his staff. "**What have you done, bringing these dirty foreigners into the middle of our sacred city? You shame Ulli with your treachery.**"

Merin glared right back, refusing to back down. "**The only one here who shames Ulli is you, Ibnir, with your refusal to accept the outside world. These **_**foreigners,**_** as you put it, are here to help us, regardless of your ignorance.**" Whispers began to form behind them as people from the marketplace stopped to watch the ongoing confrontation.

"**How dare you insult a chosen of Ulli**?" Ibnir sneered. "**You forget your place, boy**."

He turned to the crowd that had quietly gathered, raising his arms as if beckoning them forward. "**We need no mages to help us! Only the grace of Ulli will save us from doom! Live your life in submission to Ulli and you will be free of fear!**"

Romeo looked to Merin, who translated. "He is saying that we don't need you; that only the grace of our god Ulli will save us. Ibnir is a foolish old man, who won't take no for an answer. A lot of people listen to his babble just because of how long he's been a priest—but most of the elders listen because they agree with his outdated beliefs."

Ibnir looked to Wendy and Romeo, speaking in heavily accented and malicious Fioran. "Only children. You must be a truly powerful healer, _boy. _I certainly hope the rest of your guild aren't as weak as you and your wench look."

Romeo stepped up, face a mask of anger and opened his mouth to speak—

"He is not a healer."

Wendy gently pushed Romeo behind her with a hand on his chest. He stumbled back, mouth still open. She looked to Merin, who nodded silently. He repeated what she said in Meshbaalan. The crowd buzzed.

Wendy folded her hands together, gripping tightly. With calmness she certainly wasn't feeling she projected her voice. "I am Wendy Marvell, the Sky Dragonslayer and healer of our guild, Fairy Tail. I am here to assist you in what capacity I can."

The reaction was instantaneous. Distantly she heard Merin shout what she said back, but his voice was drowned out by an explosion of noise from the crowd. Ibnir roared, waving his staff madly.

"**Blasphemy**!" he cried. "**This **_**woman—**_**no, this**_** girl**_** presumes to say she is healer? That she is a slayer of dragons?**"

"It's true!" Romeo shouted back, wheeling to face the crowd. "Wendy was taken in by Grandeeney the Sky Dragon when she was very small, and she trained her in Dragonslayer magic—"

"**Disgraceful!**" Ibnir shouted, looking positively thunderous. "**It is not the place of a woman to learn magic, or to heal! This insolent charlatan is trying to makes fools out of us; she is trying to taint the women of our community! She is nothing! She cannot do anything!"**

** "Do not listen to this demon's words, I implore you," **he begged the crowd, even as his eyes shined with malice. "**Remember your place, all of you women, and Ulli will forgive you!"**

** "Forgive them for what?" **snapped Merin, momentarily stopping his translation. "**For being born? Wendy probably has way more power than you, Ibnir!"**

** "I will not have this insolence," **Ibnir cried. **"Ulli will not be denied—"**

** "I think that is quite enough of this nonsense,"** a familiar sounding voice stated authoritatively from the crowd. The crowd parted silently to admit the same elderly woman from earlier. Her sharp eyes took in the situation, silently noting the beginnings of tears in Wendy's eyes.

Merin leaned in close to Romeo and Wendy, murmuring. "That is Ashmat. She is an elder of the community. Her ancestors were the founders of Hamil—and she's never been one to listen to Ibnir about women. She's kind of a radical around here, but people listen to what she has to say because of her ancestry, and because she actually thinks before she says anything."

**"You will leave these people be, Ibnir,"** she said—no, commanded. **"If they say that they can help us, then I am inclined to believe them. They have done nothing to incur your wrath."**

** "Ulli will not abide by this, Ashmat—"**

** "No, **_**you**_** will not abide by it, Ibnir,"** Ashmat cut him off. **"Or do you fancy yourself to be Ulli incarnate?"**

Ibnir said nothing, only ground his teeth and swept back into the udram, slamming the doors for good measure.

**"And you, Merin,"** she looked sternly at him as the crowd began to disperse, shooting looks at Wendy and Romeo. **"No matter whether you agree or disagree with them, show some respect for your elders."**

** "Yes, efendim,"** Merin bowed.

**"Youngsters," **she grumbled good-naturedly. She turned a slightly kinder eye on the young mages, switching languages. "Do not take what he says to heart," she said to Wendy. "Ibnir does not have his head screwed on straight; the day he speaks sense is the day Ulli comes for us all."

"Thank you very much, Ashmat-san," Wendy bowed quickly wiping her tears. She nodded once and turned on her heel, making her way through the crowd again.

"I think it's high time you told us exactly what this 'problem' of yours is," Romeo said to Merin. He sighed.

"Grandfather is…still working some things out. He'll take you to the place tomorrow; until then I'd rather not say anything," said Merin.

"But—" Romeo tried to argue.

Wendy gently put a hand on his arm, stopping his words in their tracks. She looked at Merin and nodded.

"We understand," she said. "We'll wait for tomorrow."

* * *

_after the nightmare_

Wendy laid in the room she had chosen, heart hammering, face wet with tears she had unconsciously cried, thinking over the events of the day to distract herself from Mirajane's gruesome death. She looked at the clock—12:01 AM.

"I guess it's tomorrow."

_desert outlying Meshbaal, date and time unknown_

Gray leaned back on the sand, fingering his necklace absentmindedly. His eyes followed the swaying leaves of the palm tree above his head; he and Erza had made camp in a small oasis close to the town they had come from.

"I wonder where they could be hiding her," he mused. "There's not exactly much cover in the open desert, except for under the sand."

"Regardless, we have completed the physical search," Erza said from her place by the pool of water. "Tomorrow we will use the magical detection device that was given to us to search for concealment; hopefully that will be more effective. Until then, get some sleep."

"Sir yes sir," Gray grumbled quietly, turning onto his side.

"_What was that?_"

"Nothing ma'am!"

"That's what I thought. And put your shirt back on; it's not good to sleep bare in the desert. You'll get sunburn."

He closed his eyes and thought of home.

* * *

_They have begun to move._

* * *

**Just in case anyone was confused the italics at the beginning of each chapter are Wendy's dreams-I might not do an "aftermath" every chapter, but just assume that they are occurring each night one after the other (wow I'm so mean to poor Wendy).** **I promise they have relevance!**

**Please leave a review on your way out-reviews are my favorite snack!**

**-WD2645**

**Song: Glitter (Starving Trancer Remix)-from Fairy Tail**


	5. revolution5

**Yosh! New chapter! I apologize sincerely for the delay, but I just took the SATs and I've been studying pretty hard for those-to make up for it I've made this extra long and (hopefully) exciting. Enjoy!**

* * *

_Prabha_

* * *

_...one…_

_ ….al…gon…_

_ Kshhhh—_

_ …li…why?_

* * *

_ Wendy slumped on her knees in the sand, all her resilience from the last dream gone, drained away into weariness felt to the bone._

_ "Not so tough now, are you?" it sneered, running a hand through its long, long hair. "Not so brave now, hm? Not so fierce, little dragoness?"_

_ Wendy said nothing, only stared at the sand beneath her, tears dripping from her eyes to the earth. The shadow laughed in delight, reveling in her despair, breathing in her confusion._

_ "Why?" Wendy whispered, as if to herself. "All those people…those poor people…" Wendy glared through her tears. "Was it you? Why would you do something like that?"_

_ "Why, my dear Wendy, who on Earth said I did it?" it grinned maliciously, sharp and dark. Its tongue darted out briefly to wet its lips. It leaned forward slightly, a hand to its mouth as if it were about to tell Wendy a secret._

_ "They did it, little dragoness," it whispered, venom in its voice. "You humans, you living beings, you did it to yourselves. Everything is your own fault."_

_ "That's impossible!" Wendy cried, jerking upright. "I would _never_ do something like this to—"_

_ "Irrelevant," it cut her off, leaning back smugly. "Everything that befalls you, all that happens to you and your comrades is your own fault, because you are _weak_."_

_ "You're delusional," Wendy whispered, the truth dawning upon her. "You are absolutely insane."_

_ "If you think I'm the insane one, little dragoness, then you are worse off than I thought," it sneered._

_ The figure drew itself up to its full height (considerably short, but nonetheless imposing). "You say that _I _am delusional? That _I _am insane, that _I _know nothing? _You_ are the one who knows nothing, little fool. _You _are the one who understands nothing."_

_ It spread its arms wide. "Just look at this world. Do you not see the contradiction in your very existence?"_

_ Wendy listened with one ear, hearing all and comprehending none, tears continuing to drip from her face._

_ The shadow drove on viciously. "There is no point to you—to any of those whose hearts beat, whose blood flows. With or without humans, with or without any life, this world will continue to exist. Time will continue flow. All you serve to do is destroy the place that gave you a life and a home. So then, for what purpose are you here?"_

_ "The answer is simple—the only purpose you have is to _die_. Everything you do—whether you help others, whether you destroy them—all ends in death. Your only purpose is to show the desolation of death, to show the pointlessness of life. You have been created to make the best of a life of suffering. _That_ is the logic of this world."_

_ Wendy dug her fingers deep into the sand as if trying to anchor herself down, but the fine grains only ran through her fingers. "What kind of logic is that?" she whispered. "That's not logic—that's just your own twisted beliefs that you're putting on the shoulders of others—"_

_ "Silence!" The figure snapped, sounding angry for the first time. "I will not be disparaged—I am the protector of this logic! I am its defender!"_

_ "And I just said that's not logic!" Wendy cried out, lifting her head defiantly. _

_ "If that's not logic…why is this happening to me?"_

_ Wendy's vision was consumed in white._

* * *

_earlier that day_

"Good morning, everyone!" Wendy beamed, flouncing into the kitchen where her comrades were eating breakfast.

"Mornin' Wendy!" Natsu grinned, mouth full of food. Lucy sighed even as she smacked the back of his head. She smiled at Wendy, echoing the chorus of greetings from everyone else in the room.

Wendy grabbed a plate of eggs and toast, poured a glass of milk, and took a seat next to Romeo, who grinned easily. Wendy took a deep breath and began to eat, feeling the last effects of her nightmare melt away as she sank into the noisy and cheerful chatter of her companions—of her family.

"Sleep okay, Wen?" Romeo asked, nudging her shoulder to turn her towards him.

Wendy paused, considering her answer. "Okay, I guess. What about you?"

Romeo threw his hands up in the air, looking at Wendy with wide eyes. "Mavis, Wendy, I had the weirdest dream ever! Okay, so, there was you, and there was Charle, and there was Natsu-nii and Master, right, and then there was this merry-go-round and it was being operated by an elephant—"

"Huh? Me?" Natsu's mouth dropped open, staring as Romeo described the details of his dream. "On t-t-transportation?"

Wendy giggled helplessly, watching Romeo recount his dream to a gawking, mismatched audience of mages (even Gajeel was listening out of one ear, though he'd deny it with all his might). _I wish I could have dreams like that,_ she thought wistfully.

"—and then, the unicorn said, 'Oh my god, Narwhal, you can't just ask people why they don't have a horn!'"

The table burst into laughter, startling Wendy so much she almost fell out of her chair (which, of course, only made them laugh harder).

Such was the raucous scene that Zahin entered in to, Aaliya on his arm. Wendy, the first to notice them walk in the door, stood hastily and bowed slightly.

"Good morning, Zahin-san, Aaliya-san," she greeted nervously, wincing mentally at the mess behind her. "I'm sorry if we disturbed you at all, we were just—"

Zahin waved his hand carelessly, taking a seat at the counter. "No worries, dear girl. With Merin around, we are more than used to noise in the mornings," he said drily.

"I'll have you know that I resent that," Merin said sagely, striding into the room with his usual exuberant confidence. "I am as quiet and patient as a saint."

Aaliya chuckled. "Oh yes," she said humorously, setting a plate in front of each before taking her own. "Our Merin has been saintly since birth; why, when he was just two, we visited Fiore's zoo and he—"

"Grandmother, I don't think they need to hear that," Merin interrupted loudly, eyeing the room.

"Well, suffice it to say that the giraffe was never quite the same," she laughed. Wendy twitched.

"Hey gramps," Natsu said, leaning forward on the table, "I have a question."

"Have you ever heard of a dragon named Igneel? Maybe Metalicana, or Grandeeney?"

The air around the table sharpened immediately, Gajeel and Wendy turning to stare intensely at Zahin. Romeo, Lucy, Levy, and the Exceeds looked on quietly, watching their respective Dragonslayers.

"Dragons, you say?" Zahin looked around the circle, noting each one's focused expressions. He laced his fingers together atop the table, thinking deeply.

"I can't say that we have much legend of dragons," he said thoughtfully. "By all rights, as a people we are concerned mostly with Ulli, our god, than we are with dragons and such Fioran folklore. Generally to us dragons represent evil creatures, as they are so closely related to the treacherous snake."

"Igneel's not evil, old man!" snapped Natsu, rising to his feet and ignoring Lucy's harsh whisper to be polite.

Zahin raised a hand. "And I never said so, my boy. I have never met a dragon, so in all honesty I cannot judge whether they are evil or not." He sighed. "I can, however, safely say that I have never heard of anyone or any dragon by the name of Igneel, Metalicana, or Grandeeney."

Natsu sank back into his seat, muttering a short apology; unable to see Natsu upset Happy flew to his shoulders, Lucy laying one hand unobtrusively over his.

"The reason Natsu-san asks, sir, is this request that we received is a little strange," Wendy smoothed the wrinkled, aged paper out before Zahin. Merin and Aaliya leaned over his shoulders, Merin mouthing the words silently. Wendy's hands quivered; she gripped the table hard as if they would stop if she did.

"I know you probably don't see anything, b-but actually the reason we all took this mission was that—"

"At the bottom," Gajeel cut in, shooting Wendy a look that was probably meant to be reassuring, "all of us saw a dragon—our dragon mentors. Nobody but us and the mini flame-brain over there," he nodded in Romeo's direction, ignoring his shout of protest. Wendy patted his shoulder comfortingly, giggling now that the attention was off her (failing to notice Romeo's blush).

"You know anything about it?" Gajeel's eyes fixed on Zahin, searching for any hint of a lie.

Zahin examined the paper closely, turning it over and feeling the corner. He frowned.

"You're right; I see nothing. I have no recollection of doing anything to this paper," he turned to Merin, "but Merin was the one who delivered it to our postal station. This isn't one of your new tricks, is it?"

"Why is it always my fault?" Merin cried, but quickly silenced under the unnerving stares from the Dragonslayers. He swallowed at Gajeel's snarl—his face read clearly: _If you brought me all the way out here for a stupid prank I will not hesitate to rip you apart._

"It wasn't me," he protested, nervous but resolute. "I delivered it just like you told me to. This is too serious for any pranks."

Zahin sighed, sliding the request back to Wendy, who picked it up and folded it carefully. "That, I am sorry to say, is true. Even Merin is not so foolish—not now at least. Now no one can afford to be foolish."

He leaned back in his seat, Aaliya rubbing his shoulder tenderly. To Wendy, he suddenly looked a thousand years older—weary and tired. Wendy felt a sudden pang of sadness at the way he scrubbed at his face, back hunched.

"We're sorry, Zahin-san," Levy interjected, shooting Gajeel a look of warning. "We didn't mean to accuse you or Merin. Those dragons are very dear to Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy—we've all been searching for them for a very long time," she said gently. "But please rest assured, we _always_ finish a mission once we start one. We'll all do our best to help you."

"Of course," she continued. "We can't do that unless we know what the problem is. Do you think you can tell us?"

Zahin took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Yes, I believe that I have secured proper clearance. I apologize for the delay, but the people of the village are stubborn—they do not take easily to strangers."

"I-it's not a problem at all, Zahin-san!" Wendy piped up, Romeo nodding at her side. "We're ready to go whenever you want us to! Please leave it to us!" Wendy made a fist.

Zahin shared a look with Aaliya, who nodded somewhat uneasily.

"Very well. Shall we say in about an hour?"

* * *

"This is it—our hospital," Zahin said. "It's not much, but it's enough for a town like this one."

"Small," Merin coughed.

Wendy bit her lip nervously—Merin's assessment was true. The hospital looked to be no more than three floors, shaped like a box of beige bricks. The few windows were sealed shut and boarded up with wooden planks, every crack sealed up with a tape or a cloth. Two guards dressed completely in white, with fabric covering every exposed bit of skin and thick surgical masks over their mouths and noses stood guard at the door, backs straight, hands clasped behind them. Zahin led the group up the front path, stopping to speak briefly with the guards in a low voice. Wendy watched the guard on the right nod and say something to the other, who walked quickly around the side of the building.

In a minute he was back, holding a large basket of white cloth in his hands. He strode over the Wendy and the others, setting the basket on the ground gently and motioning them over.

"You…take these, now, please," he spoke in halting Fioran, nonetheless giving them a friendly (if wary) smile. He gestured to his outfit, making special note of his facemask.

"Put on," he clarified, pointing to the basket. Exchanging glances, the mages quickly donned the same garments as the guards: full white bodysuits, gloves, boots, and masks that covered everything but their eyes.

"Ugh," Lucy grunted, struggling to pull her suit up, "this is too hard to get on! Is there a bigger size?"

Natsu cackled. "You don't need a size up, Luce! That's just cuz of your boobs. Didn't you notice before? They're huge!"

Wendy sweatdropped, mouth twitching as she stared at her (flat) chest and cringing at the supreme smack that followed Natsu's comment. Gajeel cackled at his flattened, steaming form on the ground.

"Gihihi! Poor Salamander can't even take a hit from bunny girl!"

"How about we see if you can take my fist in your face, you bastard?" In a millisecond Natsu was up and raring to go, knocking foreheads with the Iron Dragonslayer.

"Ahem," coughed Zahin, winking at the flabbergasted guards. "We should be going in, I think."

Leaving her face mask in her hands for the time being, Wendy began walking towards the door eagerly, taking in a deep breathe. The scents of disinfectant and chemicals were strong—Zahin had said that the hospital was mainly non-magical. Strong too was the smell of sickness; decay was in the air. Wendy grimaced, almost unconsciously reaching out to hang on to Romeo's sleeve. He looked down at her in surprise. Wendy's face was a mask of nervousness barely covered by confidence; she was biting her lip so hard it might bleed. Romeo's lips quirked into a smile, his hand rising to remove it gently.

Wendy started, staring at Romeo in blushing shock. He grinned.

"You're gonna do great. I just know it."

Wendy said nothing, examining Romeo's assured, smiling face. Taking one more breath, she grinned back—radiantly beautiful.

"Yeah."

Zahin hesitated at the door, one hand on the doorknob. His eyes closed, a weary look on his face.

"Our…problem, dear girl, is an illness that we have never seen before. Our healers are unable to make any sense of it, even our magical ones. It is—sickening, to say the least. For all our sakes, I hope to Ulli that you are able to help us."

Wendy nodded firmly, strapping on her mask. "I will do my best."

Natsu didn't like the mask. It made it too tough to smell the air, and it obscured his breathing. Plus, it was itchy. Natsu didn't like itchy things.

He turned his head from side to side, doing a quick head count. The Exceeds had chosen to wait outside, given that insofar there were no cat-shaped protective suits. Natsu wasn't really quite sure how a sickness could be so bad that people needed breathing masks—the last time he was sick it was just a little flu; Lucy came over with lots of soup and DVDs and it was gone in a few days. Natsu had never been really, really sick; he supposed it must have something to do with his draconic immune system (which sounded kind of cool, now that he thought about it).

Natsu stretched his arms up, folding his arms behind his head as he continued walking upstairs, supposedly towards where the emergency ward was. To be honest it looked the whole place was in a state of emergency to him; people in white suits were rushing about everywhere, yelling in their strange language. Cries and screams of pain echoed throughout the hospital, ringing in his sensitive ears; in all their ears, looking at the cringing faces of Wendy and Gajeel. This clearly wasn't some normal epidemic—whatever was going on was causing real suffering, and Natsu didn't like it when innocent people suffered. Whatever was going on in this hospital gave Natsu a bad feeling.

A small, warm hand curled into his—Lucy, by the looks of the outrageously stretched suit. Her hand squeezed, both seeking and receiving comfort; the other gripped the place where her keys sat on her hip, protected by the white cloth.

"This is it," said Zahin, voice muffled by the mask. He had paused by the door at the top of the steps, leading to the third floor. "The healers here are our best; they have predicted that one of the patients being kept here is on the verge of death, so—well, you'll see.

"Don't think that there's anything you can do to change it, either," he turned pointedly to Wendy, who clutched Romeo's sleeve almost reflexively. Natsu frowned; it wasn't okay for Wendy to be scared or uncertain.

"Most of the patients here are too far gone to be helped, so don't blame yourself. You'll have to see this at least once to understand the true problem. Please prepare yourself."

Without another word, he threw open the door.

Even with the mages' intrusion, Wendy observed, it didn't seem like the workers ever stopped moving. There was a constant circulation of bright, sterile white; a doctor or nurse from one room to the next, and the next, never staying in one place for too long. At any rate it seemed like there were too many patients for individualized care; if these were only the people who were too far gone, Wendy didn't want to know how many were just getting started.

The third floor consisted of a long hallway, with plenty of doors on either side leading, presumably, to patient rooms. Each room had a thick glass window; Wendy sensed weak but effective magical seals on the edges to prevent the escape of infection. The real horrors, however, laid in the pictures those windows captured: families sobbing, screaming, holding the atrophied hands of their loved ones, who laid back, obscured by the covers. Others banged on the windows futilely, trying to reach their family as the doctors struggled to ease their pain. The putrid smells of vomit and blood mixed with powerful disinfectant assaulted her nose, even through the heavy cover of the mask. It was clear that the hospital had no handle over whatever this sickness was; it was all they could do to keep it contained.

Zahin led them to the very end of the hallway, the doctors growing quiet, making way for Wendy and the others. Zahin stopped outside the last room, looking in briefly and looking away. He gestured Wendy forward and began to speak in a whisper, an undercurrent of desperation in his voice.

"The boy in there was one of the first to fall ill—they were the ones hit hardest; many of them are on this floor. We call them 'the first wave'. His name is Amari; he's only 14 but he's one of our brightest students. They thought he might even have had magical potential. You can't help him. His family knows that, so don't blame yourself. Just—please, if you could ease his suffering even just a little, it would mean the world to them—to us. To all of us."

Wendy shivered, feeling pressure as if the whole town was in that tiny building, staring right at her. She shook her head, reaching out one hand to grip the door handle.

"I will do my best," she said quietly. "I won't let him go in pain."

* * *

Wendy leaned back on the closed door, cut off from all emotion.

_What is it with doors today? _She thought detachedly. _It feels like every door we open is more horrible than the last. Why are there so many doors?_

Wendy had been prepared for the usual gross throes of sickness; it was, after all, difficult to be a healer and squeamish at the same time (not to mention a Fairy Tail mage). She had been prepared for the distraught family that she saw, whimpering quietly across from her, clutching at the bed sheets. But she had never been prepared for the scrap of a human being that lay, heaving, before her on the bed.

Amari: that had once been the name of the—the _thing_ here now. "Amari" sounded like a bright name, full of possibility—Wendy could picture him, as he had once been, lively and sharp. Now, though.

Now, he was a husk—literally, a shriveled husk of a person, dried up into a small, arid stick like a dead cornstalk. Paper-thin skin clung uselessly to cracking, brittle bone, rounding almost imperceptibly over tough muscle and shrunken organs, and his_ face_, oh his face, it was like something out of those horror movies that gave Wendy nightmares. Nearly all of his hair had dried up and fallen out—his eyes, his mouth, his nose, even his_ teeth_ were completely moisture-less, unable to produce neither saliva nor tears. Veins stood out in his eyes, blood running thinly, bursting out of the weak walls to dribble down his face, as if he was crying. He stared into space, twitching, sucking air into his lungs as though it might heal him (_as if it was the only thing he could do, robbed of all his functions as he was_). Wendy felt a tear run down her face—it evaporated almost as quickly as the boy's fluids seemed to be doing. She reached a hand up to touch her mask, knees locked, unable to move an inch out of—what? Fear? Pity? Slowly she became aware of a pounding on the wall—was that Romeo-kun? Natsu-san? Lucy-san?

The boy choked, his mother crying out, and Wendy jerked into action. She rushed forward, hands hovering for only a moment before she was checking his pulse, gently probing his skin, careful not to rip or tear (_why was she thinking that he was made of paper_). With seemingly great effort Amari dragged his eyes to meet hers—she gave him a shaky but reassuring smile.

"You'll be okay," she said gently, gripping his hand in hers. "You'll be just fine. You won't hurt anymore really soon, okay? It'll be okay."

Holding his hand in both of hers, she closed her eyes and summoned her magic—heightening her senses, feeling the air swirl around her, hot and dry. Slowly, tendril-by-tendril she delved into his body, her magic infusing him.

She flinched—the illness was just as bad as it seemed. She could feel his cells dying, screaming in agony as they withered away in nothing, into non-existence. Deep in as she was Wendy knew nothing of the hush that fell over the room, of the awed and proud stares of her companions as Amari's body relaxed, glowed blue.

_Zahin was right,_ she thought, dismayed. _I can't do anything for this person. The damage is too extensive. _She clutched his hand harder, head bowed. _But I won't let him go like this. Not in so much pain._

Wendy concentrated, pushing more magic into the boy's body. Synchronized, they took a deep breath together, blowing out slowly.

_Be calm,_ she thought, as if her thoughts could reach him where he was. _You'll be at peace soon. _More magic, soothing the cells, blanketing their pain with numbness. _I'll take care of everyone for you. You can rest now._

In her mind's eye she saw Amari—a complete stranger, but bright and good nonetheless, smiling and waving. It was only a dream, of course, but Wendy smiled anyway and thought,

_Good work._

Slowly, very slowly, he breathed out, deflating like a balloon, and he didn't breath in again.

Wendy released her magic, a lone tear dripping off her face, sliding easily off of still-warm skin. It was hard, harder than she had expected, to _feel _the life drain out of someone, unable to stop the flow of a spirit away from its shell. She took one more look at his face—peaceful now, eyes closed. As if in a trance his mother came and stood beside her, vacantly running a gloved hand down her son's (_her precious, precious boy's_) face. Rivulets of water ran from her eyes, soaking her suit; the little girl clung to her side, one hand on her mask. Trembling, she muttered something in Wendy's direction, unintelligible—

And she screamed for all she was worth, grief and loss and fear saturating her voice; painfully clear to the young Dragonslayer—

Wendy frowned, confused. Fear? What could there be to fear now, with all her protective clothing—?

Suddenly Zahin was banging on the window, yelling at them get _out_—

_Crack._

_ Crack,_

_ Crack,_

_ Crumble._

Amari's body was disintegrating—dissolving into sand and dust before Wendy's very eyes, and she was powerless against it. His face caved in, everything, flesh bone blood organ—everything crumbling into dust that swirled in the air. Wendy's pupils dilated; never before had there been any such illness—in the first place it should have been physically impossible for the cells not to retain their structure—

Vicious pounding came at the door; doctors burst in, wrenching the frightened girl away from her mother and out of the room, screaming all the time. The mother put up more of a fight; she struggled with a desperate strength, throwing the doctors off of her, reaching out for the body of her son (_what was left of it anyway_).

The corpse continued to dissolve until it was completely gone, heedless of the chaos, dust spiraling and swirling into the air. The doctors dropped the woman in terror, scrambling back out of the doorway as fast as they could, slamming the door behind them, holding it shut on the other side. She could see Zahin panic, run to them, cry to open the door (_"it—infect!—out!"_), Romeo and the others rushing to assist him. Wendy was shocked still, after all it was dust _how dangerous could dust be_—

Finally the door wedged open, and Zahin yelled to her inside, "Contain it! Contain the dust! _IT WILL KILL YOU!"_

Wendy wheeled around, the mother ripping off her protective mask, throwing herself towards the apparently poisonous dust like she_ wanted_ to breath it in, like she was welcoming it, and Wendy reacted faster than lightning.

Air burst to life in the room, collecting the dust into a small tornado before compressing it into a sphere with walls of pure air. The mother fell to floor, sobbing and banging on the ground. Wendy's hands shook, but her will remained steady, keeping the ball together and the dust safely inside. She watched it spin like the world was in slow motion, understanding nothing about what she had just seen.

And then the door was open, slow motion reverting to real life, and there was tight steel box around her little sphere, and a flash of aquamarine that scribbled a SEAL on it, and warm warm hands that wrapped around her, pressed her into a broad shoulder.

Romeo. Romeo and Natsu and Lucy, stroking her hair, hanging onto her for dear life. Wendy sighed, tiny hands reaching to clutch at the back of Romeo's suit, which didn't diminish his warmth at all—must come from being a fire mage, she supposed. She let out a stuttering breath, leaning her forehead against his collarbone, listening to them whisper comforting platitudes in her ear. She sighed softly, hearing that awful crumpling sound fall away from her ears.

_Crack._

She twitched, fingers clenching.

_Crack,_

_ Crack,_

No.

_Crumble._

Shouts and screams echoed throughout the whole floor as person upon person dissolved into nothing, noxious dust clogging the air, people clutching their masks like lifelines and _trying not to breathe—_

"Natsu! Burn it! Burn the dust away!" cried Lucy, jumping up and fumbling for her keys, only to remember they were still trapped beneath her clothing.

"I can't—there's too many people! The hospital will be destroyed!" Natsu snapped running out into the hallway.

Wendy tore herself away from Romeo, wheeling out of the door and running up the hallway. Window after window passed, showing the same shockingly grotesque plateau, brown dust rising and filling the rooms, spilling into the corridor.

"Levy-san! Please be ready!" she cried, screeching to a stop outside the door, arms outstretched as if Wendy was a one-woman barricade.

"I won't let it pass," she whispered (_like she was reassuring herself_), and said,

"Sky Dragon's Roar!"

The current of air blasted the dust back—rather than her usual outpour Wendy controlled her magic, scraping the air inside of each room, scrubbing the walls, gathering up each speck of dust, hurtling them towards Levy, who stood determined at the other end.

She gathered up her Solid Script Pen, sparks swirling around the nib. With a flourish she wrote in the air, drawing a square in thin lines around her word.

"CONTAIN!"

Wendy's wind directed straight into the box of empty space Levy conjured; in an instant Gajeel had clamped the box down with impossibly hard steel, perfected with Levy's SEAL.

Distantly she heard Zahin's explanation to the others.

"The dust is the real problem, aside from the illness itself. We managed at least to figure out that when the—cadaver crumbles, the dust that it circulates becomes what infects other people. In other words—"

"When a person dies the disease becomes airborne," Lucy whispered, eyes wide behind her mask. "One dead body could infect an entire family—anyone who goes near it. This is insane."

"Precisely," Zahin said, grasping weakly at his heart, Romeo supporting him from one side. _He's so old,_ Wendy thought sorrowfully, regaining her senses. _This must be too much for him._

"We've see people dissolve before, but never—_never_—on this grand a scale. I didn't think it possible; to lose so many at once in a town this small is…" he trailed off, head bowed.

Wendy walked slowly back, overly conscious of the shell-shocked atmosphere, the numb whispers, the now quiet but no less grievous tears. The floor wasn't spacious, but it was long—it could hold thirty, maybe forty people easily. So many lives—men, women, children, the young, the old, everyone—gone in the blink of an eyes, without anything to ease their pain like Amari had. So much death, and not a trace was left.

Amari. Amari Amari _Amari. _Wendy would engrave that name onto her soul with a knife in her own hands if she had to—even if there was nothing left of him, of all of them, Wendy would never allow them to disappear.

* * *

_"If that's not logic…why is this happening to me?"_

_ Wendy turned to the source of the voice, dreading whatever gruesome picture she knew awaited her. She flinched only slightly, voice flat, drained of shock._

_ "Lisanna."_

_ The younger Strauss sister laid prone on the ground, arms and legs haphazardly spread about, clothes ripped and dirty._

_ "You didn't save her, so I've lost Mira-nee. And now this is happening to me. Why? If we weren't born to suffer why would this be happening?"_

_ "This isn't real," Wendy said quietly, shutting her eyes and clamping her hands over her ears. "It's not happening because this isn't real. Lisanna is fine."_

_ "I'm _not_ fine," Lisanna snapped, voice growing weaker and wearier as time ticked on, second by second. "This is why Mira-nee's gone—you shut your mind to the truth because you're _weak_. You never help anybody but yourself because you can't accept that you have no power."_

_"Stop it—whoever you are, just stop," Wendy whispered, screwing her eyes further shut like that would make her disappear entirely. "This is wrong, and it's not _real—"

_ "Says who, little dragon?" the figure sneered, composure regained. "How do you know that your precious guild is just fine? You don't know. You could be wrong. What are you going to do about it?"_

_ "Whatever," Lisanna whispered, voice dead of the vitality that usually filled it. "I'm sick of this. I want Mira-nee." Blood began to leak from her eyes, thick and red (totally different from Amari's blood like water). Wendy opened her eyes just a little, unable to close them to her precious guildmate's pain. Blood bubbled up from her pores, her ears, her nose, even her mouth, choking her, running her precious life out into the sand—and even so she closed her eyes almost blissfully. Slowly her body melted into nothing but red, red liquid that stained the sand, before it sank away into nothing. Wendy dry sobbed, hitting the sand with a clenched fist._

_ "It's. Not. Real," she ground out, pounding the ground with each word. "It's not! I won't give in to something like you!"_

_ The figure laughed in delight. "That's it! Hate me! Not so perfect, are you? You're having fun, aren't you? Now that you understand this world! This logic!" It spread its arms. "Come! Break more! Break until you're just little pieces of nothing!"_

_ "I won't break," Wendy gasped, scrabbling at the sand. _Amari,_ she thought. _Amari, Natsu, Lucy, Levy, Gajeel, Happy, Lily, Charle. Romeo._ "I won't break for as long as my friends are with me! I won't!"_

_ The figure paused, one finger (presumably) to its mouth as if it was seriously considering the notion. "Is that so?"_

_ It grinned. "Then, I'll handle that. I _will _see you kneel before me, little dragoness. You won't stay whole. I swear it."_

* * *

_Desert outlying Meshbaal, same day, 8:00 pm_

"This is by far the area with the largest output," Erza mused, surveying the deep magic detectors lent to them by the townspeople. "But without intimate knowledge of the desert, it would be impossible for us to figure out where the entrance is."

Gray, meanwhile, was paying no attention whatsoever. "Damn it, whose idea was it in the first place to bring an ice mage into the desert? Who thought this was a good idea?"

"Do you have something to say about my choice of companionship, Gray?"

_Glower._

"N-No ma'am!"

"That's what I thought."

Erza took one last look at the device and pocketed it (_pockets? Where are Erza's pockets?_). "At any rate, we've accomplished the primary objective: to find the area. Next we'll need to rendezvous at the capital—we'll meet the original request senders and go from there. Let's rest for the night."

Gray sighed, moving to unpack camp (_which was more of a hotel than a camp given the amount of stuff Erza carried around with her_), groaning pitifully under the extensive heat.

"Can't wait. Say, Erza, what was the name of the capital again?"

Erza thought for a moment. "If I remember correctly…

…it's a city called Hamil."

* * *

**Well, that's this chapter done! I'm working on chapter 6 right now-you can probably get ready for a little actio-oh, oops, almost spoiled ya there ;)**

**Please leave a review with you fav or follow if you give one, it means the world!**

**-WD2645**

**Song: "Kisetsu wa Tsugitsugi Shindeiku"-Amazarashi**


	6. revolution6

**Please see the AN at the bottom for an update! Thanks :)**

**Disclaimer: Still not Mashima Hiro-my Polyjuice Potion doesn't seem to be brewed correctly.**

* * *

~Prabha~

* * *

_"Some—hin—!"_

_ Ksh. Kshhhhhh._

_ "Sav—li—"_

_ Kshhhhhhh._

_ "PLEASE! SAVE HER!"_

* * *

_Wendy stared dully at the figure, arms crossed, face expressionless. _I think I'm getting used to this,_ she thought. _I wonder if that's a bad thing.

_Wendy narrowed her eyes towards the figure, which danced in a circle, humming crazily to itself. _

_ "Today, my little dragon, is a wonderful, wonderful, day, don't you think?"_

_ "I think that depends on your definition of a good day," Wendy replied carefully, voice tight with compressed anger. "What a good day means to you, for example, is most definitely not what a good day means to me."_

_ "Is that so?" the figure pondered. "I thought that a good day for anyone meant coming one day closer to sweet oblivion. Isn't it that for you?"_

_ "No, it's not, not that you would understand," Wendy snapped, rubbing her temples. "Unlike you, some people actually enjoy living and being with their friends; but I wouldn't expect you to get it, since you don't have any."_

_ The figure cackled delightedly, clapping its hands together. "Look at you, little dragon! Finally biting a little, are we?"_

_ Wendy took a deep breath, attempting to clear her mind. _She's trying to get to you, _she thought to herself. _Don't give her the satisfaction. Stay calm.

_ The figure cocked her head, one hand on its hip. "Aw man, don't do that! Get angry again! Come on, show me more!" At Wendy's silence it screeched wordlessly, growing angrier by the second. _

_ Wendy closed her eyes, blocking out the shadow's squeals. _Stay calm,_ she thought. _This is all just a dream. Ignore her and she'll go away.

_ The figure screamed again, stomping its foot on the sand._

_ "Fine, then," it ground out, malice emanating from it like it hadn't since the first few dreams. "You can just go to hell for all I care! In fact I'll take you there myself!"_

_ The desert erupted into flames, snaking around Wendy, who shrieked in surprise. _

_ "Wendy!"_

_ "Wendy-chan!"_

_ "Help us, Wendy!"_

_ "Please don't let us die!"_

_ All around Wendy her guildmates erupted into flames, flesh burning away before her very eyes, skin and hair and bone melting like candles into the dust. Laki, Nab, Vijeeter, so many people—turning to ash before her very eyes. Wendy stared with deadened eyes, overwhelming nothingness compressing all emotion._

_ "Tch," the figure sneered, calming down at her obvious despair. "If that's all I'm going to get I'm leaving. Have fun being weak, you miserable worm."_

_ "I didn't take you for the cliché villain type," Wendy whispered, scrubbing at her eyes, hearing the echoes of ringing screams in her ears. "It suits you. You should keep going with that—really representative of your intelligence."_

_ The ensuing screech battered her ears—Wendy screwed her eyes shut, clasped her hands and wished—_

"Wake up!"

* * *

"Come on, Wendy, rise and shine!"

Wendy's eyes opened blearily, dry tear tracks crusting her eyes. Rubbing at her face she sat up slowly, feeling a warm hand on her back, helping her to rise. She blinked, catching sight of bright golden hair and a sunny smile. _Lucy_, she thought.

"Are you feeling any better?" Lucy examined her face closely, taking in her obvious exhaustion. She frowned, rubbing the younger mage's back gently.

Wendy smiled wearily, slumping her tense shoulders. "I'm fine, Lucy-san. I'm sorry to worry you."

Lucy smiled back. "It's okay. Everybody's waiting for you downstairs—do you want breakfast now, or…?"

Wendy stretched, getting slowly up out of bed. "I think I'll take a bath first, if that's okay. I feel a little icky."

"You're not sick, are you? You didn't breathe any of that stuff in, did you?"

"No, no," Wendy assured her, grabbing a towel and her toothbrush. "I'm just a little tired. I'll be down soon."

"We'll be waiting," Lucy waved, and Wendy shut the bathroom door.

* * *

Wendy leaned back against the door, closing her eyes and sighing.

_I need some sleep, _she thought ruefully. _I'll ask Levy if she can help later._

Eyes half open she shuffled forward, turning on the shower and flinching at the sudden spray of cold water splashing onto her hand. She dried it quickly, stifling a yawn as she pulled off her nightshirt, blearily facing the mirror.

"Undressing in front of a mirror? How…vain."

Wendy froze, letting her shirt slip off one shoulder. Cracking open on eye she looked carefully around the room, covering her bare skin with her arms.

"That's weird," she mused. "I must be more tired that I thought if I'm hearing voices now."

A snort. "You wish it was that easy."

Wendy froze, turning her head slowly forward. She stared.

"I'm fairly certain that reflections are not supposed to talk," she said aloud, as if talking to herself. "Nor are they supposed to move."

Wendy's reflection stood in the mirror from the waist up, arms crossed, fingers tapping. She was as exact an image of Wendy as one might expect from a mirror—long blue hair, petite frame, and creamy skin—with one glaring exception: bright, blood red eyes in place of gentle chocolate brown.

Wendy blinked rapidly and stepped back, bringing her arms up in a fighting stance.

"Who—_what_ are you? What do you want from me?"

The image rolled its—her?—eyes, lips pressing together thinly. It didn't mirror any of Wendy's movements, perfectly still.

"I would think that much is obvious, even to you," she scoffed. "I'm Wendy, of course."

Wendy frowned. "No, I'm Wendy—Wendy Marvell, the Sky Dragonslayer. You can't be me."

"Wendy" laughed. "Well, who's to say that _you're _the real Wendy? Have you any proof?"

"What proof do I need?" Wendy shot back. "I exist and I am me—you can ask anybody!"

"Wendy" shrugged. "Who's anybody? Anybody could say anything, and it might even mean nothing. And in that case, who's to say we're not both Wendy? What is Wendy, anyhow?"

Wendy rubbed her temples, squeezing her eyes shut. "Do you _have _a purpose here, or am I just going crazy?" _Given that I'm a Fairy Tail mage I'm surprised it didn't happen earlier. _

"Wendy" closed her eyes and smiled. "Maybe it's a little bit of both."

Wendy blinked, and she was gone, the mirror showing Wendy just as she was, stance. Cautiously she moved her arm up and down—the figure in the glass copied every motion to a tee, chocolate brown eyes and all.

Wendy sighed, finally becoming conscious of the steam that filled the bathroom, coating mirror in opaque, miniscule droplets.

"I _really _need some sleep."

"Okay, here's the plan," said Levy, laying her hands flat on the now empty breakfast table. The mages and Edris family gathered around, focused and intent.

"Wendy, Gajeel and I are going back to the hospital so that she can work more directly with the…disease," she stated. "Meanwhile I want Romeo, Natsu, Lucy, and the Exceeds to get out there and explore the town, with Merin as their guide; I want to know everything about this place. What the people are like, what supplies are available, everything. Clear?"

"Wait a minute!" Romeo protested. "Why are you suddenly in charge? And why can't I go with Wendy? I'm supposed to be her partner, you know!"

Gajeel snorted and muttered to himself, ignoring Romeo's embarrassed glare. "Yeah, like that's why you wanna go with 'er…dumb kid."

Levy addressed Romeo directly. "Gajeel and I are most suited to containment should anyone dissolve again—and anyway, Wendy and I both decided that you can make yourself more useful by investigating the town. After all, we came up with this plan together, right, Wendy?"

Wendy nodded bashfully, ignoring Romeo's shock. "I think it's a good idea."

Romeo huffed. "Well, when you put it like that…" He ignored the resulting snickers.

Merin coughed. "Well then, shall we get going?"

Romeo ambled along behind Natsu, Lucy, and Merin, looking around half-heartedly as Merin chattered enthusiastically, pointing out various stalls and buildings. The Exceed trio flittered about, soaring ahead of the humans to see the town for themselves. Glancing at him out the corner of his eye, Romeo scowled slightly, shoving his hands in his pockets.

_What's the point of this anyway? _Romeo thought belligerently, looking down at the sand that swirled about his feet. _It's not like knowing the layout or whatever's gonna help Wendy at the hospital._

Romeo's thoughts flashed to the young Sky Dragonslayer; it was almost comical how quickly his cheeks turned red. He shook his head from side to side, furiously trying to dispel the image of her smiling face. Peeking out from under his lashes to the still happy occupied group before him, he took a deep, quiet breath and released it slowly.

_I must be going crazy_, he thought ruefully. In truth, the young mage had occupied his thoughts for quite some time, ever since her return from stasis had brought their ages closer together. As they began taking more missions together Romeo had seen sides of Wendy he never would have expected from her; frustration, melancholy, even mischief.

Wendy was…Wendy was so much more than anyone had ever expected her to be. She was passive, but she was also forceful in her own way. She had trouble standing up for herself, but none whatsoever standing up for her friends.

Romeo smiled quietly, lost in thought—until he suddenly hit what seemed like a warm, soft wall. He bounced backwards, shaking himself out of a daze.

"Be careful, Romeo," Natsu turned around, Happy perched on his shoulder. Behind him, Lucy giggled, her hand covering her mouth, while Merin only looked on curiously. Romeo looked around; it seemed they had reached the center of town—the group stood in the middle of the bazaar.

Merin shrugged. "So, is there anything particular you want to see?"

Lucy looked up in thought, absentmindedly fingering the material of her scarf. "I think it would be best if we just looked around a little bit, right?" she said, peering curiously at the stalls. "I think we should get a sense of the place for ourselves—"

Lucy gasped. "Oooooh, Natsu! Look! A silver key!"

Natsu cocked his head at her. "Is it a zodiac ke—whoa!"

In a flash Lucy had grabbed him by the hand and dragged him over to the stand, inspecting the key for herself. Romeo studied the obvious delight on her face; it must have been.

Merin shook his head in fond exasperation. "Are they always like that?"

Romeo nodded his head in whole-hearted agreement. "Always." He started a little, realizing just who he was speaking on civil terms to.

Silence fell between the two, Romeo refusing to look at Merin. His eyes darted around, taking in the sights with an almost nervous force.

"How long?"

Merin's words shattered the silence like a bell, ringing in Romeo's ears with unexpected intensity. He whipped his head around, meeting Merin's knowing, wine-red gaze.

Romeo opened his mouth, hoping to mislead or deny, but stopped short, deflating. He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.

"A while now," he mumbled gracelessly, breaking eye contact to watch Lucy haggle with the keeper of the stall with the key.

"Just her? No one else?" Merin asked softly, turning his gaze forwards as well.

"Just her," Romeo answered swiftly. "Never anyone else."

A smile swept gracefully across Merin's features; he closed his eyes. "I guessed as much, from the looks you were giving me."

"And you?" Romeo challenged, still not meeting his eyes. He didn't speak the words running through his head, but then, he didn't have to.

"Yes," he answered simply, softness emanating from the whole of him. "Ever since I was a child."

_Have you someone of your own?_

Relief hit Romeo like a punch; almost against his will he sagged, his aggression draining. After a moment he turned his head to Merin, who did not look at him.

For the first time, Romeo gave him a smile.

"What's her name?" he asked.

Merin opened his eyes, meeting Romeo's gaze squarely with a grin of his own.

"Her name's Hali."

_BOOM._

Smoke filled the air.

* * *

_earlier, at the hospital_

Wendy paused in her treatment, resting her hands on her knees and slumping over. She cut off the flow of magic to the prone body before her—at least this one was breathing a little easier.

_ I can't keep doing this forever, _she thought haltingly, her head pounding. _I need to rest. _She panted lightly, her bodysuit tight and uncomfortably warm.

A large hand rested itself awkwardly but firmly on her shoulder. "Outside, kid," Gajeel grumbled. "You need a break."

Wendy only nodded wearily, rising to her feet unsteadily. Gajeel's arm shifted its position, gripping her shoulder gently as he escorted her out of the room to where an anxious Levy waited.

"Outside," Wendy rasped, wincing at the raw lack of energy in her voice, unaware of Levy's worried glance.

Quickly and efficiently Gajeel and Levy had her out of the hospital doors and into the arid desert air—but anything was better than the stench of sickness and death that coated the walls, permeated the every molecule of the hospital's atmosphere. She ripped off her mask, taking in the smell of clean air and dropping to the ground slowly. Gajeel crouched with her, taking off his own mask to reveal his messy black hair and garish piercings. A seemingly permanent scowl adorned his face; but to those who knew him a tinge of concern tightened the corners, eased up the line. Still standing, Levy hovered, a hand on Wendy's shoulder.

"It's not working," she murmured, pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes. "I'm doing everything I can, and it's not working!"

"What exactly is the problem?" Levy probed gently.

Wendy shook her head. "This—this disease, it's like nothing I've ever seen. There's no germ, there's no virus, it's just—_sucking_ all the moisture from every place it can until there's none left. I can't even figure out where's it's going; it's just vanishing. And I'm trying and trying to put more back in, or to at least simulate it with my magic, but it's not holding. I can't keep that up forever, not when it's disappearing as fast as I create it!" She snapped her mouth shut, suddenly realizing just how loud her voice had gotten.

Wendy let out a shaky breath and looked at Gajeel, smiling weakly. "Thank you, Gajeel-san, Levy-san. I'll be fine in a minute."

Gajeel looked at her oddly, his gaze sharp, but he said nothing; instead he stood, plopping a hand ungracefully on Wendy's hair and ruffling it.

"You're a Dragonslayer, kid," he rumbled, "not invincible. Take it easy."

Wendy looked up at him in shock—Gajeel looked away, grumbling. Sharing a conspiratorial look with Levy, she giggled and nodded. "I understand, Gajeel-san. Why don't you two go back inside? You could look and tell me who I should start with."

Gajeel and Levy shared a glance before accepting.

"Remember not to push yourself, Wendy-chan," Levy said with a reproving eye, donning her mask once more. "We'll be right inside."

Wendy nodded absently, leaning back on her elbows and looking up at the clear blue sky. Raising one hand against the sunlight, she looked at the shadowed outline.

_Invincible_, she thought wishfully. _That would be nice. Then I could do more for these people._ She closed her hand into a fist.

_I'm not even close to invincible. I'm barely even a Dragonslayer. Why did I even come on this mission?_

Wendy shook her head, scowling at her self-doubt. Quickly she slapped her face with both hands, leaving a stinging impression.

_Are you a Fairy Tail mage or aren't you? _She argued to herself. _Don't let that thing win! You're better than this._

Steeling herself, she began walking back to the hospital doors, strapping her mask on again. _Think, _she told herself. _Obviously individual treatment isn't working; it's just wasting my time and energy. What I need are samples, things I can work on in an experimental, sterile environment. _She looked ahead resolutely.

_If I can't help the patients, I'll have to target the root of the problem. _Determination filling her admittedly small steps, she strode up to the entrance, one hand on the door to enter—

_ BOOM._

* * *

_Hamil, the same day and time_

"So this is the place?" Gray asked, looking around the train station. Erza stepped out after him; a navy blue scarf wrapped loosely around her head, fiery locks spilling out the front and back.

"Yes, this is the capital, Gray," Erza answered coolly, referring briefly to the request slip in her hand. "The original senders of the request will be meeting with us around evening time; until then we should familiarize ourselves with the settings—"

_BOOM_.

From approximately the center of town a large column of smoke billowed above the rooftops; sudden, terrified screams echoed.

In a second the two mages had snapped to action, taking off in the direction of the chaos; Erza summoned a sword, it's blade keen and sharp; ice crystals formed slowly on Gray's hands, refreshing cold washing over him. An edgy grin formed on his face.

"At least we get some action."

* * *

**First and foremost I apologize for the long delay. There was a lot of stuff that happened, and it took a long time to process and sort out and it was just a general mess for a long time, but I think I'm better now. Thank you all for being so understanding; and I can promise that updates will come far more quickly now. Again, thanks for waiting!**

**This chapter is pretty short, but the next one will be longer-be prepared for your first fight scene, action junkies! Don't forget to review, and recommend this story to your friends!**

**-WD2645**

**Song: Insight-White Ash (Short Ver.-Gatchaman CROWDS Insight Opening)**


	7. revolution7

**Disclaimer: At this point I own my phone case and a copy of Fruits Basket Volume 1...no FT for me.**

**Please check the bottom for notes!**

* * *

_Kshhh—shhh._

"…_one…why?..."_

_Kshhh._

"…_ave to move on, Me…"_

_Kshhhhh._

"…_no…why?"_

* * *

/Prabha/

* * *

_"So that's what you meant by 'taking care' of my friends? You sent those people?" Wendy glared at the wholly unconcerned shadow, hands clenched at her sides._

_ "So what if I did?" it said, waving a hand casually through the air. "It won't change anything. Soon those friends of yours will be gone, and then I can break you for good."_

_ Wendy crossed her arms defensively. "Yeah, well, my friends are the strongest mages ever! You won't get rid of them just like that!"_

_ The shadow snorted. "Yes I will. And even if I don't, you'll lose them one day. Mages die too, you know!"_

_ "That's—" Wendy bit her tongue, looking down. _It's true, _she thought. _Nobody lives forever…_She shook her head. _

_ "That's irrelevant! They're alive now, and that's all that matters!" she argued fiercely. _

_ "You cannot deny the future, little one," it sneered, twisting lengthy strands of hair between its dark fingers. "You cannot unmake what will be."_

_ "I already knew that," she ground out. "I'm saying that it's not important, because we have each other now—not that you would understand anything like that," she finished bitterly._

_ The figure stayed silent for once, seeming to look straight in Wendy's direction. _

_ "Says who?" it whispered._

_ Wendy twitched, a frown forming on her face. "What?"_

_ But the figure only clapped cheerfully, uncharacteristic silence forgotten. "Nothing, nothing! How about we get on with the show instead?"_

_ "The show—" Wendy started._

_ A shriek pierced the air behind her; against her will Wendy turned to look upon the tableau painted in red before her._

_ Strong Erza, the mighty Titania, bound by cutting steel to a long wooden pole as bright red fire licked up her legs. One arm free, she reached out, but not to Wendy—_

_ "Jellal!" Erza screamed, writhing against her bonds. The blue-haired mage struggled on his knees, held down with his arms behind his back by those same sand soldiers, the ones that had choked poor Asuka—_

_ "Erza!" Jellal cried. Tears streamed down his face as Erza's flesh burned, melted, turned black. Her cries of pain echoed through the vast and endless desert._

_ Wendy cried, hating to see her family in so much pain—to see Jellal, who had taken _care_ of her—_

_ The crackling laughter of that shadow echoed behind her, grating on Wendy's every nerve. She squeezed her eyes shut, but the image did not disappear—nor did the sounds; Erza's anguished cries, a sickening thump and squish as the sand soldier's spear disappeared into Jellal's back, the sucking sound as his breath stopped—_

_ "No more," Wendy whispered, forcing her feet to turn one step at a time, the figure's laughter ceasing as panic entered its voice._

_ "What are you doing, stop it—"_

_ Wendy gathered every ounce of strength—_

_ "SKY DRAGON'S ROAR!"_

* * *

_earlier that day_

Wendy sat up in her bed, exhausted from yet another day full of fruitless healing. She winced, sore muscles screaming with every movement; but she refused sleep, mind flashing back to the events of the day before. Romeo had described it to her so clearly…

* * *

_the day before_

_ BOOM._

Smoke billowed out into the bazaar as a large explosion hit the ground, sending pieces of debris flying; instinctively Romeo grabbed Merin's sleeve, pulling him down to the ground.

"What's going on?" Merin shouted, fear clear in his voice. Romeo grimaced, standing cautiously, pulling Merin up with him. Romeo fixed him with a serious stare.

"You need to get everybody out of here," he ordered, turning towards the epicenter of the explosion and fanning his hands about in an attempt to clear the air.

"Lead them down and away from the center. Keep them calm! Whatever you do, don't let them panic!"

Merin hesitated, but nodded, turning to the nearest vendor—a fragile old lady. He helped her up and shouted in rapid Meshbaalan, waving his arms and guiding the people to the nearest exit.

Satisfied, Romeo ran into the square to where he had last seen Natsu and Lucy as the dust began to settle. He caught a flash of blonde to his left; changing course, he sprinted right to them, dropping his center of gravity into a fighting stance.

"What's going on, Natsu-nii?" he asked, eyes roving the square for any sign of a threat. A fierce frown was painted on Natsu's face; Happy circled anxiously as Lucy pulled out her keys.

"I'm not sure," he said, a fiery grin taking the place of his earlier frown. "But it looks fun! I'm all fired up now!"

With one last gust of wind the dust blew away, leaving only the clear sky and a destroyed market—and the madly giggling figure clinging to the top of on of the taller buildings.

"That was so fun!" the tall man chuckled, clinging to a satellite pole with one hand. He wore a mauve, velvety looking suit, seemingly unbothered by the heat—a tall top hat of the same color sat upon his head, and a long mask with diagonal slits for eyes and a sharp, grinning mouth covered his face.

"Who are you?" Lucy yelled, Pantherlily and Charle coming in for a landing beside her. Lily grabbed his Musica sword, preparing to transform at any second.

"Who, me?" the man giggled. "Why, I'm Merlin, of course!"

Lucy dropped her keys to her side, face twitching in disbelief. "Merlin? Like, King Arthur's Merlin?"

The enemy stopped in consideration, head tilted to the side. "Who's Merlin?"

"YOU, YOU MORON!"

"Now, now, Miss Heartfilia, let's not bully," a snooty voice cut off her squawk of disbelief.

Lucy whipped around, pressing her back to Natsu's, who remained focused on the man. A woman dressed in shocking amounts of pink faced her—a pink corset over a pink leotard, stretched tight over a large test—even pink shoes and an obnoxiously magenta feathered boa. The woman draped it around her shoulders, twisting it absently as she looked Lucy over in obvious disgust. Lucy scowled.

"And who the heck are you?" she asked, gripping her keys tightly.

The woman sniffed, tossing back platinum blond hair and narrowing muddy brown eyes. "Sabra, Miss. He's Merlin, in a sense; just call him whatever he tells you to."

"That doesn't even make any sense—"

"Whatever," Natsu interrupted, eyes alight with excitement. He clenched his fists, flames erupting over his skin; Romeo took his cue, beginning with his purple fire.

"I don't care what his name is! I'm all fired up!" Natsu snarled. "Let's go!" He inhaled deeply.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!"

And explosion of burning flame flew straight Merlin, rushing over him and coalescing in a cloud of orange; Natsu grinned ferally—

The fire blew away, revealing only the same cackling mage surrounded by a transparent purple bubble. He kicked off the building, floating down to the ground, where his bubble popped. He raised one hand, snapped his fingers—

"Aerial Shot!"

A small, dense ball of blue air zipped towards Natsu; instinctively grabbing Lucy and ducked out of its path. The shot tore through the air, hitting a stall and smashing it to pieces.

"Air magic!" Lucy gasped, getting up off the ground and snatching a key off her ring. Swiping it through the air, she cried out, "Open, Gate of the Maiden!"

In a flash of pure gold the purple-haired maid was out on the field, spinning gracefully, chains swinging from her wrists.

"Virgo, help Nat—"

"I don't think so! Crystal Armor!" Sabra snarled, exploding into action. Romeo whirled around, cried out a warning—

"_Adamantine Armor!"_

Sabra's clear, diamond sword clashed with strong steel as Erza moved in to cover Lucy's back, her blade raised to parry. She clucked in frustration, jumping backwards.

"Titania," Sabra sneered, raising her crystal sword.

Erza studied her with cold detachment. "A Requip mage. How…fun."

With a strangled shriek Sabra rushed forward to clash with Erza again, sword swinging for an overhead strike that Erza blocked with ease, steel biting into impenetrable crystal.

Romeo sighed in relief, turning his eyes to the battle between Merlin and Natsu, just registering Gray's entry into the fray—

"_Romeo! Watch out!"_

Lucy's cry came just in time for Romeo to sense the incoming projectile; memory took over and he dropped to ground, rolling with the ease of long practice. Quickly he was up again, eyes roving and hands alight. Out of the corner of his eye a silver sparkle flashed; he whipped around, hands up just in time to block the cutting edge of a small ninja blade. He gritted his teeth as it cut into his flesh; steeling himself against the pain he increased the intensity of his purple flame in a convectional motion, generating enough force to push the blade back—like a shield of fire. The small mage tched, backflipping away with knives at the ready.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Romeo questioned guardedly. His flame snapped and hissed around his hands, always ready to assist.

"Xanthia," a small, young, monotonous voice intoned from under a bushel of bluish-white hair. Romeo's jaw dropped; Xanthia was just a girl, no older than 7 or 8. Dressed in all black, a tie wrapped around her head like a little ninja; ever so slightly he dropped his guard—

And suddenly her face was right in front of his, blade looming in; he only just managed to block with a fire-encased forearm, using the momentum to duck swiftly under the blade and move to her back, fist moving in a powerful punch to her back. She crouched, letting him swing over her before doing a handstand, both feet coming up to kick Romeo hard in the chest. He flew back, coughing.

"Hang on, Rome—" Lucy's determined shout was cut short as Virgo swept her off her feet and jumped back; not a second later a deadly flaming arrow pierced the ground where she stood. She looked to the rooftops, where an archer with a glowing longbow perched on a roof. He was covered in an executioner's garb—even his face was covered in black cloth, save for two ghastly holes for his eyes. Lucy grimaced, thanking Virgo quickly and sending her back.

"Open, Gate of the Archer! Sagittarius!"

The horseman appeared on the scene with three arrows already notched in his bow; taking quick stock of the situation he fired back at the archer, who dodged his shots with impossible fluidity. Grimly Lucy unhooked her whip from her belt, unfurling it with a snap; Charle flew to her, landing on her soldier and watching her back.

"Be careful, Xanther," Sabra's mocking voice echoed from where she dueled Erza. "Don't want to get hit by the little rope—" Her insult was cut off as Erza doubled her attack, pushing with more force in rage at the slander towards her friend.

Chaos echoed in Romeo's ears—the shouts of incantations and the sounds of battle melded together into a kind of vague ringing as he threw all his concentration into fighting Xanthia.

The girl was clearly using some kind of Speed Magic; it seemed like she teleported rather than ran from place to place, weaving around Romeo's comparatively sluggish bursts of fire. Turning in a circle Romeo clenched his teeth, releasing a circular burst of fire over the immediate area; Xanthia flipped easily into the air, kicking off a building back in Romeo's direction. He twisted, but she switched her blade into the opposite hand and swung her arm around right to his side—

"Sky Dragon's Roar!"

A powerful blast of air hit Xanthia directly, driving her blade to just graze Romeo's side; she was blown back, crashing into another stall. Romeo grinned as Wendy came to stand at his side, Gajeel and Levy right behind her. He glanced around at the others; while he had been fighting another fire mage had targeted Gray, the two opposing elements locked in a fierce duel. Levy, too, had taken on an opponent; a petite Sand Mage with ashy blonde locks who was most certainly in her element. Behind them Gajeel cracked his knuckles, a savage grin on his face—

Until Sabra, still engaged in her swordfight with Erza and apparently Pantherlily saw Wendy at Romeo's side. A veneer of frustration on her face she slackened her grip, letting Erza's strike slip down the length of her blade; she disengaged, leaping backwards and whistling shrilly.

At once, all the enemy mages deactivated their spells, falling into formation behind Sabra; only Merlin stood at her side, still snickering. The sand mage pouted.

"Aw, do we really have to go, Sab-chan?"

Sabra sighed imperiously. "Unfortunately. You know the orders; as soon as the princess shows up, we get out." Flipping her hair, she turned to where Wendy stood, a stricken look on her face. Sabra blew her a kiss.

"My mistress sends her greetings, little dragoness," Sabra sneered, ignoring the venomous looks of the two older Dragonslayers. "She hopes you'll understand the meaning of this little farce."

Romeo looked at Wendy's pale face, frowning at the dread in her eyes; but it was quickly shadowed by a shaky anger. Wendy remained silent, deigning not to answer.

As one, the opposing group took off, lifted by Merlin's Aerial Bubble; impervious to attack, they drifted off into the desert, leaving only the Fairy Tail mages and a ruined marketplace.

Romeo sagged, placing a hand on the cut on his side; he winced, feeling it burn with pain. Quickly Wendy turned to face him and grabbed his shoulders, lowering him gently to the ground and pouring her magic into the shallow but long wound. He sighed in relief as a soothing warmth blanketed the pain, resting his head unconsciously on her lap, unaware of her brilliant blush.

"Is everyone okay?" Lucy called, jogging over—Sagittarius had disappeared back to the Spirit World. Natsu and Gray, arguing already, joined the group, covered with only minor bumps and bruises. Rolling her eyes, Lucy turned with obvious surprise to Erza, who was seemingly untouched by her fight.

"What are you even doing here?" she asked in confusion.

"We took a request to find someone," she said calmly, shooting a glare almost unconsciously at Natsu and Gray, who eeped simultaneously and fell into silence.

"Gray and I have been searching the far desert—"

"The far desert? By Hansh?" A voice interrupted.

Merin, it seemed had returned, along with a sudden influx of townspeople who muttered and whispered amongst themselves; cries of astonishment began to ring out as they noticed the burned and broken square, vendors rushing to inspect the state of their stalls. Merin looked overwhelmed by the destruction, but quickly refocused on Erza and Gray.

She nodded in his direction. "Yes, that's where we searched. We came here to meet the original sender; we've located the area where the missing person seems to have disappeared."

Merin paled suddenly, wild hope sparking in his eyes.

"Well, you found him."

* * *

Wendy looked at Merin in shock at his admission.

_He had a second request? _she thought confusedly. _A missing person's search…_

Erza looked him up and down, taking in his determined stance and stark red eyes.

"Well then," she began, "we have completed the first part. We'll begin the second…after we find out what's going on here."

"Merin, who are you—" Wendy started.

"Why," Romeo interrupted, glancing at Merin sideways, "don't we get back to the house first? Since this might take a while."

Merin shot him a grateful look, only serving to reinforce Romeo's suspicions.

With that expression on his face, Merin's missing person…could only be Hali.

* * *

_at the house_

"So let me get this straight," Natsu started, confusion evident on his face. "Your childhood friend? That's who's missing?"

Merin nodded wearily, melancholy plain on his face as he sat at the table. Wendy's heart ached for him; she could understand very well the feeling of missing a dear friend.

"Hali and I, we've been together forever. We played together, grew up together. She…she doesn't have any parents, so she was always over—she practically lived here. "Just recently… we were visiting the far desert with my parents, and we accidentally wandered out into the desert. We got lost; it was hot, and we were exhausted, and we found this—this opening, made of stone, with steps that went under the sand. I didn't want to, but we couldn't go on, and Hali really wanted to go in—"

He stopped, taking a deep breath. Aaliya placed a comforting hand on his shoulder from her place behind him.

"There were these people," he went on, "dressed all in black. It must have been their hideout or something, but they found us, they attacked us…I managed to get away. I sprinted as fast as I could, and somehow I made it back to the village, but Hali—"

He broke off, turning his face down. Wendy looked away, his grief seeming private. She focused on Romeo's face next to her; he was serious, but there was light in his eyes that looked almost like…understanding?

She broke her gaze as she noticed Merin lift his head.

"When we went back with search parties, we couldn't find any trace of the place, so my first thought was magic," he said. "So I sent out a personal request to a couple different guilds; I'd never have expected Fairy Tail to take both."

The group of mages shared glances, grave understanding on their faces; to lose a friend, especially one as close as Hali was to Merin, hit a nerve deep within all of them. Erza nodded in satisfaction at their shared understanding.

"In that case, Merin, I see no problem in combining the tasks," she said, offering him a kind smile. Romeo sighed, shooting Wendy an exasperated glance; she giggled in response.

"So," Gray leaned in, "what's going on on your end?"

"W-Well," Wendy started, "the basic story is this…"

* * *

_back to the present_

Wendy sighed, shaking herself out of her recollection; getting up, she moved to the bathroom, splashing water on her face. Drying it quickly, she gripped the counter, staring into her reflection.

"You look terrible. Ever heard of concealer?"

Wendy blinked, only to be met with a familiar image—the other Wendy, one finger tapping her arm while red eyes shone. Wendy sighed, dropping her head.

"Please tell me you're a dream."

"Why on Earth should _I _be the dream?" 'Wendy' scoffed. "For all you know, I'm the real Wendy."

"Didn't we already have this conversation?"

'Wendy' shrugged. "We can have it as many times as you like. The truth won't change."

Wendy sighed, moving slowly out of the mirror's view. "I'm too tired for this."

"Wait."

Wendy paused, backing up slightly to meet her reflection's gaze. 'Wendy' held her gaze firmly, but hesitation was evident on her face.

"Don't…don't make her mad, okay?"

Wendy blinked in confusion before her brain caught up with her.

"So it is a her," Wendy thought out loud. "And she sent those people from yesterday?"

"Just be careful," 'Wendy' snapped before disappearing, leaving only a flat reflection in the mirror.

Wendy frowned to herself, flicking off the light and making her way back to the bed. _I'll have to make sure to ask about them, _she thought. _I forgot about it last night._

Within minutes, she was lost to terror.

* * *

_during the nightmare_

_The burst of air, made stronger by Wendy's desperation, blew into the figure, which screeched in alarm before being obscured by the gale. Wendy stared into the stream, hope rising in her chest—_

_ Only to see it crushed as the figure emerged once again, its—no, her—arms raised in an X-formation. Dropping them slowly, it took one step forwards._

_ "You shouldn't have done that," she whispered. Her movements suddenly free, Wendy took a step backwards, fear suddenly screaming at her to run—_

_ "You can't hurt me, little dragon," she sneered. "You want to know why?"_

_ She took another step forward, revealing a small shoe, a baggy sable dress over a slender leg._

_ "You want to know who I am?"_

_ One more step and she was almost in the light; Wendy strained to see anything past the dress, the small, thin fingers, the long blue hair—_

No.

_ Wendy Marvell stepped fully into the light, a sadistic, cruel grin stretched over her face, making her look like a grotesque marionette. _

_ The young Fairy Tail mage dropped to the ground, gasping for breath as immense pain began to wash over her in waves—she choked, scrabbling in the sand, trying to form a coherent thought over the intense hurt—_

_ "I am you."_

* * *

**And here's the next chapter! I wanted to get this out as fast as possible to make up for my long delay**. **Anyway, this was my first time writing a group fight scene; I'm far better with one-on-one or two-on-two, but I gave it my all; I love writing fight sequences. Please let me know how I did!**

**Don't forget to a drop a review and recommend!**

**-WD2645**

**Song: Kibouteki Refrain-AKB48**


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